Sins of the Past
by PiOfEternity
Summary: Name's Anna Summers. Mom and I moved again because her job demanded it, which was fine by me since the university here's said to be pretty good, but I definitely didn't expect to find that our new house is literally haunted by a ghost, nor did I expect that I'd befriend said ghost, and I certainly couldn't have foreseen the lengths to which I'd go to save her from her afflictions.
1. Chapter 1

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter One

* * *

 _Strange._

 _I see a moving van approaching my home. I can hardly remember how long it's been since I've last seen one. 12 years, perhaps?_

 _I see a teenaged girl spring out the back of the truck before the thing even stops, and I catch a glimpse of her face as she turns to marvel at the house that stands before her. I don't understand why she looks so starstruck. I've really let the place go over the years._

 _Hmm, red hair, green eyes, freckles all over. Kinda cute. I'd guess that she's about 19?_

 _Already she's bounding up the steps to the front door, and upon arrival she knocks a catchy little jingle. I'd like to hear that again sometime._

 _I instinctively move towards the door, my hand phasing through the doorknob as I reach out to turn it._

 _Sigh. Right._

 _You'd think you'd remember after the first few hundred times._

 _Oh well._

 _I float myself up through the living room ceiling into my room, and flop myself onto my old dusty bed. As per usual, the dust refuses to acknowledge my existence._

 _I hear the redhead shouting below me. Something about a coat._

 _I sigh again, and begin my time-old ritual whenever someone new moves in. It's a fun little game, called "Guess How Long You'll Get To Have Company Before You're Alone Again." I haven't really had the time to think of a snappier name._

 _Well, that's not true. I have all the time in the world I could ever need. I just plain don't care._

 _Regardless, I'm feeling hopeful today. I guess 8 days._

 _Most people leave by 5._

* * *

"Mom! Where're the darn house keys? I thought you said they're in your coat!"

"They are in my coat sweetie! Have you checked my inner left pocket?"

Oh. Duh.

The door swings open, and —man it's cold in here— I'm greeted by what an old friend of mine would call a sore sight for sad eyes (he's always trying to play around with old idioms, silly English majors).

The floor is caked in a layer of dust, and there are cobwebs strewn about everywhere. Some of the rotted wooden furniture is in desperate need of replacement and—Jesus almighty is that a dead mouse?

Mom poked her head through the front door and whistled.

"Well, the real estate agent did warn us."

I hummed in agreement. "At least we're practically paid to live here, right?"

"$50 per month. Didn't believe it when I first saw it, still don't to be honest. She actually started laughing when I asked about the safety deposit."

"I guarantee that there's more to this house that she didn't tell you. This place is massive for such a small price tag."

"Well sweetie, despite all the deep dark secrets that are screaming to be discovered in here, I'm going to start cleaning up. Why don't you go exploring? You could pick out your room at the very least. Expect lunch in an hour."

"Sounds good, see ya Mom!"

I raced up the stairs, two at a time. The layout of the house was nothing special, just a few rooms with a shared bathroom in the middle. The first room showed clear signs of abandonment, as in it looked the same as everything else in the house. As did the second bedroom, and the third, and the fourth..

Yeah, I think I'll let Mom have those.

Having fully explored the four previous rooms, and having completely wasted 20 minutes of my time, I now stood in front of the fifth and last bedroom. I pushed open the door and was delightfully surprised to find that this room actually showed some personality.

It's still really darn dusty, don't get me wrong, but here the walls are painted a soft light blue instead of the drab beige found everywhere else. The furniture was also of actual good quality for once. There was a nice big desk with an accompanying office chair, and a rather large ornate wardrobe sat next to the bed.

Curiosity overcame me, and I peered inside the wardrobe to find some rather well-preserved clothing from.. what, the 19th century? This stuff must be ancient.

Eugh, moth balls smell terrible.

I knelt down to pull open the bottom drawer, and inside I found a little treasure chest.

Locked, of course.

I stood up, taking a glance at myself in the mirror built into the inside of the wardrobe door and—what the hell?

Staring back at me, from behind, perched on top of the bed was a distinctively human shaped gray apparition. It must've noticed my shocked expression, as it.. smiled at me..? And abruptly melted into the bedsheets.

I spun around faster than I knew possible and immediately fell prone beside the bed.

Nothing but dustballs.

I crawled under the bed, calling out: "H-hello? Anyone there?"

I heard what I swore to be a wispy chuckle coming from.. above? I immediately banged my head on the underside of the bed in my haste to crawl out.

Cursing, I looked up at the bedsheets to find...

Nothing.

Cursing again, I spun around back towards the wardrobe, its doors still hanging open. I took another look into the mirror to find the.. thing.. floating out the bedroom door and into the hallway.

I immediately gave chase, but when I arrived there was nothing to be seen. I peered over the staircase railing, looking for the mysterious intruder.

Still nothing. I growled in frustration.

I heard my mom call out. "Sweetie?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing? You're stomping around like a madman up there."

What _was_ I doing? Chasing a ghost? "Nothing much, mom."

"Whatever you say sweetie. On a side note, I've been battling the grime on this kitchen counter for a while and I think it's winning. Do you want to eat out today instead?"

I was far more interested in further exploring the house, now that my interest was soundly piqued, but my stomach nosily overruled me. I had skipped breakfast today.

"My god, I heard that from all the way over here. Get your sorry butt in the car sweetie, we're heading into town."

* * *

 **Hello there.**

 **I've been reading a lot of supernatural-themed books lately, and I wanted to try my hand at it.**

 **It seems that the community here has lessened over the months, but as long as even one person wishes me to then I will endeavour to continue writing. I have a general gist of what I'd like happen for this story this time, so I will likely be able to finish this.**


	2. Chapter 2

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Two

* * *

We drove into town and dropped into the first deli we came across. Soon I was sitting at a table, wolfing down a large meatball sub.

Mom looked up from her ham and cheese, frowning. "Anna dear, at the very least please try to chew before swallowing."

I couldn't help that I was hungry, but I grunted an affirmative and did as was asked.

The cashier, whose name was Rapunzel, giggled from behind the counter. "I'm surprised that she can even get it down. People usually never order the meatball sub."

I can understand why. This thing isn't very good.

"Which leads me to suspect that you guys are likely new in town. In that case, welcome!"

My mom grinned, "Thanks! We just moved into an old lone house sitting near the top of the hill."

Rapunzel gasped, "Woah, did I hear you right? __The__ old house on the hill? Did you know that place is supposedly haunted?"

I suddenly found myself extremely interested in this conversation.

Swallowing a mouthful of meatball, I asked in my most casually intrigued tone possible. "Haunted? I love a good ghost story. Please elaborate?"

"Legend has it that a girl about our age and her family used to live up there sometime in the 1900s. They were quite wealthy, I think. They used to own one of the big businesses that kept this town's economy afloat."

She paused to purse her lips.

"I don't remember much else to be honest. The story gets fuzzy from there. I know for certain that something bad happened to the girl, though versions vary on what. Some say that she got disowned after refusing to takeover the family business, others say she was mentally unstable and had to be locked away, and then there are the whackjobs who insist that she was an all-powerful ice spewing witch that had to be put down. All versions agree, however, that one: the girl disappeared, and two: the family moved away shortly afterwards."

"Okay, but what about the haunting?"

"Keep your pants on. I'm about to get to that part." She paused to ring up a customer, one who flashed her a conspiratorial grin before leaving. Presumably he's already heard the story a few dozen times?

"Okay, anyway. Apparently the local daredevils and idiots say that if you go into a darkened bathroom at night, say her name three times while spinning in a circle.. blah blah blah.. it's the old Bloody Mary shtick. You'd think these guys would at least try to come up with a more original story or something, but almost everyone who's went to her old house and performed it swear that the girl's ghost actually appeared in the mirror behind them and scared the living crap out of them. They also claim that they never actually physically saw her, even though her image appeared in the mirror."

My eyes widened as my mouth fell agape. A ghost in the mirror. The exact thing I swear I saw not two hours prior. Holy crap.

"What?" Rapunzel teased. She must've seen my expression. "Did you see her yourself? Did she haaaunt you? Did she raise an army of spooooky scaryyyy skeletons and dance the thriller?"

Mom laughed at that, but I was a bit unnerved, to say the least.

I tried to play it cool. "Oh please, I didn't even know she existed until now." Truth. "Much less how to quote-on-quote, _summon_ her." Also truth. "How could I have possibly seen her?" Lie.

All things considered however, I really did want to learn more about this ghost. Though, I probably should make at least a cursory effort to hide my interest, lest my mom start running around telling all our relatives that I've been possessed. I'd never live that down.

I paused, tapping my chin as if deep in thought. "Just curious, what was her name?"

Rapunzel laughed, "You're not actually going try all that baloney, are you? I pieced this story together from little snippets I hear every now and then from the town crackpots. Not exactly a reputable source."

I grinned at her in return. "Who knows? I'm missing a few screws myself."

"I can attest to that!" Chimed my mother.

"Alright, but if something happens I expect to hear about it!"

"Yeah yeah yeah, you'll be the first —here I notice my mom shooting me a pointed, yet amused grin— um, __one__ of the first people I'll tell." I amended.

Rapunzel laughed, again. Boy she likes laughing. "Very well then, her name was Elsa."

* * *

Elsa.

Elsa. Elsa. Elsa.

I like the way that name rolls off my tongue.

We had just returned home from town, and mom promptly resumed her battle with the gunk on the kitchen counter. I took a look in there myself, and I can say with certainty that that room will not be clean for a very long time. I helped to the best of my ability, and we made some decent progress, but man. I am not kidding when I say it's a mess in there.

We decided to eat instant noodles in the living room for dinner instead. Delicious.

Mom returned to the kitchen afterwards. She doesn't give up easily. It runs in the family.

I on the other hand, headed straight towards the upstairs bathroom. I couldn't believe what I was about to do, but I also couldn't wait a second longer to try it out.

I quietly shut the door upon arrival and turned on the lights. Steeling myself, I stared deep into the mirror and began to chant.

"Elsa... Elsa... Elsa."

...

...

...

...

...

Ridiculous. Why am I even wasting my—Holy hell what happened to the lights?

I turn my head towards the door, straining my eyes in the darkness to discover that the lightswitch is untouched and still in the "on" position. Goosebumps prickle my flesh as the room temperature begins to plummet.

What have I just gotten myself into?

I turn back toward the mirror in time to find the ghost —Elsa— materialize behind me to the left. I gasp involuntarily, and whip around to face her.

Nothing, as I should've expected.

I glance back at the mirror. The image of Elsa is still there, but incredibly fuzzy. That, and the embodying wisps of mist that surround her combine to make it incredibly difficult to identify any sort of detail about her.

I try to make out what little I can, but there isn't much to see.

She floats a few metres off the ground, high enough for me to immediately notice that she does not appear to have legs. They are either obscured by her flowing dress and ambient glow, or —shudder— she does not happen to own a pair at all. Stray strands of white hair blow softly behind her, even without the presence of wind, and two long pale arms droop by her sides.

What makes my blood run cold, however, is that her face is now a literal blank mask. When I saw her previously, I was able to recognize that she had at least some semblance of facial features. Now I see only two, menacingly narrow, black glowing slits where her eyes should be.

I have a sudden urge to leave this room.

I slowly back away to the door, keeping my eyes on the image in the mirror at all times, and extend my hand behind me to quietly rotate the doorknob...

...and discover that it won't budge.

Elsa's eyes flash a deep crimson red, and I panic as the image in the mirror lunges for my throat with arms outstretched. I squeeze my eyes shut and crumple into a pathetic heap at the foot of the door, as my mind succumbs to fear.

I try to savour my last gulps of air before the phantom hands and miasma can choke them out of me, tears trickling down my cheeks.

...

...

...

...

...

Huh?

Sporadic bursts of orange behind my eyelids alert me of the fact that the lights are flickering back on, and that I am not dead. I slowly rise to my feet, knees wobbling all the while, and find that the door opens easily. I dry my eyes as I try to stem my hiccups, and note that while the room temperature has stabilized, goosebumps continue to poke at my flesh.

I don't look back into the mirror as I stumble out of the room, fleeing downstairs.

* * *

 ** **I drew inspiration for Elsa's ghostly form from the in-game depiction of a banshee in Warcraft 3, except that Elsa doesn't look nearly as nutball crazy (and ugly) as they do. You can Google image search "Warcraft 3 Banshee" to see what I mean.****

 ** **If you and I get the same results, then you'll also see a deviantart depiction of a banshee by "binkari." That image conveniently shows pretty much exactly what I had in mind during writing (except that Elsa's hair of course has more of a whitish hue than that of purple).****


	3. Chapter 3

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Three

* * *

I flew down the stairs and into the kitchen as fast as my feet would carry me, desperate for the safety of Mom's comfort.

"What's wrong dear?" Mom asked, upon my arrival. "See a ghost?"

She looked up from the dirty countertop, and immediately dropped the attitude when she noticed the distress evident on my face.

"What happened?"

I hadn't the opportunity to calm myself from the events that transpired upstairs, and thus involuntarily blurted out the first words that came to mind.

"I was in the bathroom."

Mom raised an eyebrow. "You tried that Bloody Elsa thing, didn't you?"

It was a rhetorical question, one both she and I already knew the answer to as I happened to have a previous track record for reckless curiosity.

"Did you actually see her?" Mom's voice was half serious, half incredulous.

I panicked internally for a second, having only just realized the ramifications of what happened upstairs. Do I answer truthfully? Do I say, "Yes, I did see a ghost, and she tried to strangle me." and have Mom question my mental stability? Should I simply lie instead, and laugh it all off as a practical joke? The risk of spending the rest of my life shackled by straightjackets and psychiatrist appointments did not seem at all appealing..

I would later wonder why I was ever worried that __Mom__ of all people would send me away over something as petty as a ghost sighting, but I never was known for my rational thinking skills. I was of the kind who primarily did all their thinking with their heart, and in that instant mine had already made the decision and my mouth took over before my mind could protest.

"Kinda? I didn't actually see a ghost or anything —not like I was expecting to— but my face started to.. change.. and I got spooked. I think I know why it happened though, it's called the strange-face-in-the-mirror illusion. I read an article about it once. It's triggered by standing in a dimly lit room and begins after a few minutes of staring into a mirror and apparently—"

Only now did my mind finally realize what was going on, too late to stop the damage that had already been dealt, but in time at least to stop me before I could dig my grave any further. We stood in silence for a bit, me awkwardly scratching the back of my head while Mom stared at me with an unreadable look in her eyes.

Mom's dealt with me long enough to know that I'm spewing a pack of lies, but she didn't push the subject, continuing instead to bore a hole in my head. I needed an escape, which was odd because not three minutes ago I was desperate for her presence.

I glimpsed Mom's key ring sitting in its place atop of the kitchen counter, and one quickly formulated.

"I-I'm gonna go get the car keys." I stammered, "I should start moving in my things.."

I nabbed the keys and fled the kitchen almost as quickly as I had entered it.

I busied myself fully with bedroom renovation for the final hours of the night, forcing myself to fret over the placement of my various paintings and portraits rather than the debacles that occurred in both the bathroom and the kitchen. I managed to distract myself so effectively that I immediately collapsed into a dreamless sleep, dead tired, once I finished decorating my room.

* * *

I woke to the annoying squawking of crows and the painful throbbing of an inexplicable migraine. Darkness still permeated my room, which was odd considering that I hadn't shut my blinds prior to hitting the sack.

A quick glance at my bedside alarm clock revealed that it was 5 AM in the morning.. why was I awake so early?

I groaned as my inquiry was answered by an ear-splitting pain raging through in my head. I needed some pills.

I really didn't want to get out of bed, but my head demanded Advil, and like a newborn baby it sure as well wasn't going to let me rest until it was satisfied.

Thus, with the grace of a drunken hippopotamus, I rolled myself off the bed, blankets and all, and land headfirst upside-down on the floor for my troubles. Regret and pain immediately followed as my head violently rebuked me for my stupidity.

I slowly oozed out of my little blanket-burrito into a puddle of red hair and teddy bear pajamas, as though I were toothpaste being squeezed from the tube. It took great effort to hoist myself onto my feet, and even more so to get them moving.

I groggily made my way into the bathroom, and was reaching up to open the medicine cabinet when I noticed one of my small pink stickynotes stuck onto it. Written in fancy cursive, with ink that appeared to originate from one of my gel pens, it read:

 _ _Sorry about yesterday, but you kinda did ask for it.__

 _ _Hope your headache isn't too bad.__

Huh?

I took the note in my hand and flung open the drawer, swiftly choking down a few tablets of over-the-counter headache medication. I reread the note a few times, thoroughly confused by both its contents and its mere presence.

I didn't recognize the handwriting. Who wrote this? Why is it here? What did the note mean by I asked for it yesterday? I asked for what? Wha—

Oh.

Elsa must have written this.

But.. how?

Looking around, I quietly called out.

"Elsa..? Are you there?"

Indeed she was. From nothing and out of nowhere, her image materialized in the mirror, floating behind me. I tried and failed to suppress a gasp, but this time I didn't turn around. I at least knew by now that there'd be nothing there.

Elsa greeted me a short wave and a polite smile. She no longer wore the faceless mask that had me petrified previously, and her casual body posture contradicted any intent of malevolence. The temperature still dipped noticeably, though.

I could do little more than give a brief wave myself, as my mind was still processing everything and the medicine had yet to kick in. I clutched at my head as the throbbing intensified.

Elsa responded to my throes with a look of.. sympathy?

Strange.

I had a nagging gut feeling that Elsa may have had something to do with this unexplained migraine, the note notwithstanding, so I shot her my best death glare and asked, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about this headache, would you?"

She shrugged, as if the response were ' _ _sort of, but not really__ _.'_

Gee, thanks. That certainly helps clear up all the ambiguity problems I've been having about you. Stupid ghost.

"Who—what are you?" I pressed. "Why are you here? Why are you appearing to me all the time?"

Elsa turned away, unwilling to meet my gaze.

"Fine." I huffed, "Be that way. In which case you'd better find someone __else__ to haunt."

I turned on my heel and made for the exit, only to discover that the door, once again, was jammed. I glanced back into mirror to find Elsa with one arm outstretched toward the door.

Hmpf. I suppose that's how she does it. Frankly I'm not in the mood to care right now. I'm cranky and tired, and I just want to return to my warm bed and sleep off these head pains.

"What?" I demanded, turning on Elsa. "What do you want from me?"

The spectre stared at me intently, and with her free hand mimed flipping over a piece of paper. I peered at the now crumpled stickynote still in my hand, and flipped it over to read:

 _ _I can explain.__ _ _Meet me in the kitchen__ _ _sometime prior to 8AM, but g__ _ _ive me a few minutes to prepar__ _ _e.__

 _ _There'll be a cup of hot cocoa waiting for you.__

Huh.

I suppose that would be right now.

Elsa's arm fell to her side, and she promptly left, disappearing into the wall. I tried the door again and found that it opened easily.

* * *

I had sobered enough during the downtime to realize that I held in my hand physical proof of Elsa's existence. It wasn't hard evidence, of course, but it was proof enough to dispel the notion of all this paranormal activity being an elaborate dream or something; So, as requested, I waited for a few minutes in my room before cautiously heading down the stairs.

I arrived in the kitchen, and was surprised to find Mom awake, cleaning the kitchen counter. By her side sat my favourite mug, full of steaming liquid chocolate.

Why is she awake at 5 AM?

"Mom?" I called out.

Without looking up, Mom quietly replied, "I need you to be quiet, Anna. Can you do that for me?"

"M-mom?" I asked, worried, "Are you okay?" Something about Mom's mannerisms rubbed me wrong, because while she seemed visibly fine, her tired voice and suggested otherwise.

Mom looked at me as though I grew a second head, then checked herself and sighed, "Right, I've forgotten to introduce myself. It's me, Elsa."

 _ _What?__

I stumbled backwards and opened my mouth to scream, but before I could utter a sound Mom—I mean Elsa, had cleared the distance between us with lightning speed and clasped a hand tightly around my mouth, silencing me.

* * *

 ** **I'm not quite sure how I'm going to handle the tone for this story.****

 ** **I'd like for there to be a hint of mysteriousness, as we learn about Elsa's history and how she came to be, but I'd also like for a bit of lightheartedness while she and Anna bond since that's a gold mine of content waiting to be tapped. Ideally I'd do both, but I'm not sure if I can pull that off.****

 ** **Also, Elsa's behaviour is kinda unreasonable right now, but that's not entirely a bad thing, right? You wouldn't realistically become best friends with some random stranger you met overnight, would you?**** ** **Not every friendship starts out smoothly**** ** **after all**** ** **..****


	4. Chapter 4

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Four

 **I'd like to note that this story will not be predominantly horror themed. My apologizes if I led you to believe otherwise.**

* * *

I screamed muffled curses into Elsa's grip, kicking and struggling. She flinched with every blow I dealt her, before finally snapping "Anna, stop! You're hurting your own mother!"

That got me listening. What _was_ I doing? Beating up my own mom?

I ceased my assault, slightly horrified by my actions.

A brief period of awkward silence ensued, after which Elsa released her hold upon me. I jumped at the chance to distance myself as far away from Elsa-in-Mom's body as possible. Mom's embrace felt sickeningly foreign, what with a different entity controlling her and all.

"Okay." I hissed, switching my method of combat from physical to verbal. "Start talking. What did you do to my mom?!"

Elsa wrung her —Mom's— wrists. "I'm.. borrowing her, so to speak."

" _Borrowing_ her?" I echoed in disbelief.

"I wasn't able to think of a better term."

"Borrowing implies that you'll give her back."

"Hence why I picked that particular phrase."

"Do you want to explain what the hell's going on?"

"I.. yes. Would you like to sit down? Your cocoa is getting cold.."

I thought about that for a moment. Hot chocolate certainly was tempting..

"Fine. But stay away from me."

* * *

So I sat, at the far end of the still-dirty-but-significantly-less-so kitchen counter, sipping my now lukewarm hot chocolate. Mom, or Elsa rather, was standing by the opposite end, wiping down the surface with an old rag. I was tense and on full alert, watching for any further signs of aggression.

None came.

The hot chocolate's helping with my migraine, I think. I didn't know if it held any medicinal value that's supposed to, but the pain's been reduced to a minor annoyance. It could just be the medication finally kicking in though.

"Well." Elsa began, looking up from her cloth.

"Well." I repeated, staring her in the eye.

"Well Anna, I imagine that you have some questions to ask of me." Elsa left to rinse the rag in the sink. "Fire away, though I do recommend that you pick your questions carefully, as I can't stick around for long."

She transitioned into scrubbing the stove, clearing off stubborn grease stains Mom and I had hardly been able to dent the night before.

"Let's start there." I asserted. "How long do you have? And why are we short on time?" I first needed to know how long I'd be able to speak with Elsa, and also how long I'd have to wait until I could check on Mom's wellbeing.

"I'd estimate 15 minutes at most. Why the time constraint..?" Elsa bit her lip. "That's quite the complicated matter to explain, but the gist is that your mother is still technically asleep at the moment, and keeping her that way is very taxing on my strength, hence the time limit."

Huh?

"Hold the phone. What are you talking about? What do you mean by you're keeping my mother asleep? You're not hurting her, are you?"

Mom had better get out of this in one piece, or I swear to Jesus Almighty..

"I am not directly causing her harm." Elsa replied. "Though she may experience slight head pains upon waking as a side effect of my presence. If so, however, they should be minor and manageable—"

"Woah, woah, woah." I interrupted, "I do _not_ appreciate you 'borrowing' my mom if it causes her pain."

Unperturbed, Elsa quickly continued, speaking diplomatically.

"Very well then. I will refrain from doing so in the future. I can leave now if you so wish, but know that the severity of her discomfort is not proportional to my time spent inhabiting her body. You will only be robbing yourself of the opportunity to sate your curiosity, and to no benefit of your mother, should I release her now."

She really knows how to pull my strings. Stupid ghost.

"Fine. Explain what you meant about my mom still being asleep, then. Convince me that you're trustworthy."

Elsa ran a hand through her —Mom's— hair.

"I have no intention in harming you or your family, but I have only my word to offer as assurance. As for what I meant by your mother being asleep, I meant exactly what I said. She is asleep. Her mind is away, and is not actively controlling her body."

I almost didn't believe what I was hearing.

"And I assume that you are the one who is?"

Or saying, for that matter.

"Correct. I can control your mother's body so long as her mind remains away. However, as a sleeping body is normally inert and at rest, which it clearly is not at the moment, I must actively prevent your mother from awakening, lest her body realize that I am not its rightful owner and forcibly exorcise me. Pacifying a human mind is draining on my strength, hence why I cannot stay for extended periods of time."

Elsa paused to wipe a bead of sweat from her —Mom's— brow, and continued.

"While being forcibly removed from a body is unpleasant, to say the least, I fear more for your mother's mental health, should she awaken before I can return her to her bed."

I nodded, despite the fact that Elsa had her back turned to me. I was slowly, but gradually, beginning to understand all this nonsense.

"Does this have anything to do with why you wanted me to be quiet? And why you weren't exactly thrilled when I started punching you?"

Elsa stepped over to the sink to wash Mom's hands. The stove was spotless.

"Precisely. It is difficult enough to keep a mind placated while performing ordinary housework. Therefore, I believe you can imagine how dangerously close your mother came to waking during your assault on her person. I'm sure you understand that there would not be happy times for any of us, had she inexplicably woke to find herself in the kitchen, with you struggling under her grasp no less."

I hadn't thought of that. Mom would probably throw herself into an asylum willingly had that happened.. and I'm not sure what I'd do without her.

I guess we really dodged a bullet there.

I still had a million questions raging about in my head, but while we were on topic the topic of body snatching..

"Are you only able to possess people while they are asleep?"

Elsa leaned back onto the sink, tapping Mom's chin with her finger.

"No. I can enter any body whose mind is absent or weakened, if only for small periods of time.

I theorize that I can enter those who've succumbed to madness, but I haven't the opportunity to try thus far. I do recall a time where I've entered the body of someone who was quite thoroughly inebriated a few years ago, though."

She paused, as if deep in thought, and scowled.

"I clearly remember that it was a teenaged male, not unlike you in appearance. He drunkenly broke into my house to test my 'Bloody Elsa' myth, as I hear it, and was very disrespectful in the process. The only proper response of course was to make him soil himself as punishment."

I chuckled quietly. Also, that explains what Elsa meant when she wrote that I had "asked for it" earlier. Note to self, don't piss off Elsa.

Wait. The note had said something else.. something about my headache..

I shuddered as I finally put 2 and 2 together.

"You said earlier that my mother would have slight head pains when she woke up, and that it was basically a side effect of borrowing someone's body. Earlier still, you also said that you hoped my headache wasn't too bad."

I gulped.

"Did you.. have you entered my body recently?

Elsa sighed.

"Yes. Did you not wonder where the note came from?"

I could already feel the screaming heebie-jeebies even before she answered, but knowing that someone else has been walking around wearing my skin.. I shuddered uncontrollably for an instant.

"On that note, Anna, I have something to say." Elsa walked over and sat in the stool across from me, steepling Mom's fingers. "When I entered your body last night to write that note, I could instantly tell that there is something very, very different about you."

"Different?"

What could be so special about me?

"Yes. Different."

"Different how? What happened?"

"Nothing."

...Gee, thanks for the informative reply. Stupid ghost.

Elsa sighed.

"I can see the annoyed look on your face, Anna. Have you not listened to a word I've said? I normally have to fight to stay in someone's body, but when I entered yours last night, _nothing happened_. I didn't have to actively try to keep you asleep, I didn't have to wrestle with your subconscious, I didn't have to do _any_ of those silly shenanigans. This has never happened before, Anna. You are quite an anomaly."

I finished my drink while Elsa contemplated her next words, and took the time to absorb all this information.

Under normal circumstances, I'd probably laugh myself unconscious had someone told me that I'm some paranormal special snowflake, but in light of everything that's happened recently.. I'd say that these circumstances have been anything but.

I opened my mouth to speak when, all of a sudden, Elsa began to quiver. She rose to her feet, quietly trembling.

"I'm afraid that I've overstayed my welcome, and will regrettably have to cut our conversation short."

Her voice then grew timid, uncertain..

..and hopeful?

She opened her mouth to speak.

"I daresay that I have not scared you away? Would you.. would you be interested in meeting again sometime in the near future?"

"Y-yeah. Sure. I'd love to." I spluttered, without even thinking. Stupid heart.

Relieved, Elsa's face beamed with unmasked joy. "Thank you. It's been far too long since I've had regular, genuine, human contact. We may have to figure out a different means of communication if your mother is to remain inaccessible, but I'm sure we'll think of something."

Dear gosh, what have I just gotten myself into?

Elsa turned and ascended the stairs, turning midflight to face me.

"Goodnight Anna, and thank you. Rest well." She waved goodbye, and disappeared into Mom's room.

I blinked a couple times, stupefied, as I listened to Mom's bedroom door click shut. Did all that really just happen?

My empty mug of chocolate indicated as much.

Huh.

Then I suppose that I've just made my first friend here in Arendelle.

* * *

 **Originally, Elsa had the ability to possess anyone she liked, for as long as she liked, and Anna was unique in that she was the only one Elsa had to "fight back against." I planned to have the headache I established in Chapter 3 be the result of the two clashing against one another.**

 **This idea had the unfortunate side effect, which I realized while writing Chapter 4, of introducing a large inconsistency with** **what I had planned in the future.** **I needed to make possession of other people an impractical method of communication between the two, which with my current idea was not, so** **I rewrote the story such that it was the other way around. Now, Elsa had to fight everyone except Anna.**

 **But how would I explain Anna's inexplicable head pains, now that the struggle that I planned to happen, didn't?**

 **I didn't want to just write it off as a red herring and hope people would forget about it, because that was the easy** **way out** **and would definitely be reason to be ashamed of my work.** **I wanted instead to incorporate it into my story, and instead create a reason to be proud of it.**

 **So after a few days of brainstorming, I eventually came up with the idea that everyone Elsa visits gets head pains. This conveniently reinforced the solution to my "make possession of other people impractical" problem.**

 **I managed to turn a mistake into a plot point, s** **o even if this chapter is poorly received because it has too much talk or not enough action or whatever other valid reason you guys can point out (of which I encourage), I still think it's one of my best chapters written to date.**

 **Side note. The town Anna and her mother moved to is Arendelle. I could've sworn I had Rapunzel mention that in Chapter 2, but apparently I didn't. D'oh.**


	5. Chapter 5

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Five

* * *

I trudged back up the stairs to catch what little sleep I still could before I had to leave for my first day of classes. Today was the day where I was supposed to check out campus and integrate myself into town society.

I peeked into Mom's bedroom as I passed by. She seemed fine at first glance, almost peaceful in fact, but it was profoundly weird knowing what fate would befall her when she woke. I detoured into the bathroom to ensure that the Advil could be easily found for when Mom inevitably came for it.

I took a quick glance into the mirror as I left.

"Goodnight, Elsa." I quipped.

Nothing.

Perhaps she was resting as well.

I returned to my waiting bed, the covers still strewn all over the floor the way that I had previously left them. My bedside alarm clock read 5:27 AM, which meant that I'd get at most 3 hours of rest before I had to return to the world of the living.

Sleep came easily.

* * *

I first thing I noticed when I woke was that of the distinct feeling of cold.

Like, I was really, really cold all of a sudden, freezing in fact, despite being tucked snugly beneath my blankets.

The second thing I immediately noticed was that my alarm clock was ringing, loudly. I rolled over in my bed to see the bright red LEDs flashing 9:07 AM.

Wait, 9:07?

Crap.

My bus arrives at 9:18 AM. Not much time to get ready.

I blindly slapped my clock silly, trying desperately to shut it up. Times like this made me wish that I wasn't such a heavy sleeper, seeing how I somehow managed to sleep through its ear-shattering ringing for 7 whole minutes and all.

It's a good thing that Mom is one as well, otherwise she'd rip my head off for waking her.

I eventually managed to silence the alarm, and an eerie quiet befell my room once more. The temperature stabilized almost as quickly.

Hmm.

I began my day by falling off the bed into a massive heap onto the floor, mirroring my actions not 3 hours ago. I then made my way into the bathroom, and immediately noticed the pale image of a tired Elsa waiting for me in the mirror.

She had a very unamused expression on her face and I had a feeling that I could guess why.

"The alarm clock, right?" I asked, sheepishly scratching the back of my head. "Sorry about that."

The apparition crossed her arms, and I could feel her piercing stare scolding me. Elsa shook her head in annoyance, then turned and disappeared into the wall behind me. I noticed her shoulders scrunch up in laughter before she left, presumably because of my world famous bedhead.

Jerk.

I quickly began my morning routine. I brushed my teeth, tamed my hair, ignored my makeup, washed my face, went back to my room, threw on some clothes, panicked when I saw that it was 9:14 AM, tripped down the stairs, skipped breakfast, grabbed my bag, and burst out of the house just in time to flag down the bus before it left without me.

A standard morning, all in all.

* * *

The bus unceremoniously dumped me off by Arendelle University at this centralized bus hub, where it seemed like 4 other bus routes converged to service neighbourhoods from all over the city.

I took the time to drink in my surroundings. Two sidewalks lead out of this junction: one to the left, and one to the right. From what I could observe, left lead toward a shopping district of sorts mostly filled with popular restaurant chains, all peddling their wares to hungry students. The right on the other hand seemed to lead towards the facility itself.

I had nothing on my person besides paltry bus fare, so grabbing a quick breakfast was out of the question. I headed down the path on the right.

I whistled quietly as I walked.

This pathway, the one that lead to the schoolgrounds, was lined by tall oak trees on both sides. Like a tree itself, the sidewalk had several smaller paths of its own branching out towards various other buildings whose purpose I had no idea. I noticed that several of the bricks beneath me had names inscribed into them. Probably the school founders or something, I'd bet.

All around me were students coming and going from place to place, walking around in large groups chattering amongst themselves. It didn't take me long before I reached the main building, though, and made my way through its large ornate double doors.

I groaned internally as I was greeted by an endless sea of bodies when I stepped inside.

If there was one thing that I had hoped would improve from highschool, it would be the hallway congestion.

Guess not.

Sigh.

It was a real pain weaving through the crowd, due in no small part to a certain group of idiots who decided that the middle of the hallway was as good a place as any to conduct a conversation about an upcoming party, but I eventually managed to shove my way into the lecture hall of my first class of the day: Arendelle History 101.

I scanned the hilariously large room for available seats, of which there were very few I was willing to take, and noticed that the front few rows were completely empty for some reason. I was in the midst of making my way down towards them when I heard someone call out to me from the side.

"Hey! Meatball sub! Over here!"

I quizzically turned to find the deli cashier —Rapunzel— sitting off to the side, waving and beckoning for me to sit by her side.

"Just what were you thinking of doing?" she demanded as I approached, incredulous.

"Sitting down?" I answered, confusedly, as I dropped myself into a chair next to her.

"Near the front?" she asked, disbelief evident in her voice.

"What's wrong with the front?"

Rapunzel's eyes boggled as though I had asked her if water is wet.

"Everything! Don't you—oh right, you're new in town, and to AU as well I assume." She shook her head. "The prof for this class, Mr. Weaselton, is a living nightmare. No one ever sits in the front three rows of his classes because of the hair-trigger temper he tends to unleash on the closest human being whenever he feels slighted."

Oh.

"His name is Weaselton?" I asked. Who could've hated their child enough to name them that?

Rapunzel shrugged.

"Almost no one respects him enough to call him by his real name, so instead we call him after his home country that he obsesses about: Weselton. The place is little more than a glorified country-wide truck stop nowadays, but if you point that out to him he'll destroy your eardrums screaming about how the place was supposed to be one of the major powers of the world."

As if on cue, a tiny balding old man, whom I assumed to be the Weasel himself, thundered into the lecture hall, evidently already in a very sour mood.

"What's gotten into him?" I whispered.

Rapunzel shrugged again.

"The guy gets ticked off at everything, remember? He's the kind that explodes if the barista stirs his coffee clockwise instead of counter-clockwise. My best guess, though, would be the very fact that he's in this room, about to teach Arendelle History. You see, he's not a big fan of Arendelle. He's got this weird idea that Arendelle's mere existence is why Weselton is so economically weak."

"Why is he teaching here in Arendelle, then?" I asked.

"Beats me, but the only reason why he's teaching this course specifically is because the guy who normally does is on leave."

"How do you know all this?" I noted that Rapunzel was just as likely to talk your ear off as the Weasel himself supposedly would.

Rapunzel began to fiddle with the hem of her shirt.

"Everyone makes fun of him here at AU. He's basically a metaphorical punching bag. Did you know that someone actually wrote their thesis detailing exactly why Arendelle prospered while Weselton didn't? The dude did it partly because he wanted to shut up Weaselton. I heard that the old man's reaction was priceless."

The loud slamming of a fist on a table and a nasally "AHEM!" signalled that the Weasel was about to begin lecture. The old man glanced over in our direction, and suddenly turned so red that I wondered if steam would start billowing out his ears. I glanced over at Rapunzel to see that she had nothing in front of her with which to take notes, and instead was perched back in her seat, hands behind her head.

"Not gonna take notes?" I asked.

"Nah." She replied, loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear. "The TAs are preparing to teach all the course material themselves since they all know that Weaselton won't. I'm mostly just hear to see how long it'll take for everyone to get fed up and leave."

She stuck her tongue out toward the Weasel, which earned her a free eraser as he threw one in our general direction. I could see that Rapunzel's advice to not to sit too close was one to be heeded.

Rapunzel's other statement about the Weasel's willingness to teach the course material was also very quickly proven right when, after unsuccessfully trying his damnedest to make Rapunzel apologize, he began the lecture by extolling the virtues of Weselton. When he showed no inclination of teaching the stuff we __paid__ for him to teach, I, along with literally every other student in the room, packed our bags in disgust and left.

* * *

"Hey Rapunzel?" I asked, as she forcefully dragged my sorry butt back to the bus loop in order to cram some breakfast into me once I told her I hadn't any this morning. "Could you very quickly re-explain the Elsa myth thing to me again?"

"Huh? Uh, okay. Sure." She glanced back at me, slightly taken aback by the admittedly very strange request. "The gist of it is that calling for Elsa three times while looking into her mirror causes her ghost to appear and do very bad things to you. Why do you ask?"

My mind overruled the heart, for once, and I carefully considered my responses.

Would she really believe me if I told the truth? That Elsa actually did come and scare my pants off? That she does it mostly because she's bored and lonely? That she and I had a friendly chat about __possessing bodies__ almost immediately afterward?

Probably not.

Even I knew it was a bad idea to confide secrets of this magnitude to strangers you'd met only the day previous, and if I had learned anything from sitting in lecture this morning it was that Rapunzel's a rampant gossip. I'd probably get laughed off the planet if she's just messing with me, so I decided to play it safe.

"Oh, no reason, really. I tried it last night and I guess I saw something? But I wasn't sure what, so I'm just asking for confirmation. That's all."

Rapunzel's expression grew dark, and her grip on my hand tightened.

"I figured as much. The people who began all this crap all belong to the same dumb fraternity here at AU, and I know that they use the myth as a hazing ritual that every new recruit gets put through."

Rapunzel palmed her forehead.

"Ugh, I can't believe I fell for their silly ghost story. They probably made it all up while drunk off their asses during some party."

I shuddered at the thought of intoxicated frat boys breaking into our house to visit Elsa, and made a mental note to get Mom to install a security system.

"It's strange though, because they all actually seem to believe in it. Every single one of them insists that a clear image of Elsa appears in the mirror, that the temperature inexplicably drops, that the door suddenly locks, and that she's dead silent as she somehow makes you fear for your life even though she only visible in the mirror, among other things."

That about accurately sums up my first encounter with Elsa. At least they're not liars.

"They're all genuinely terrified of returning to Elsa's house. Well, technically it's yours now.. but you know. Though, the only thing that isn't unanimous about Elsa is the idea that she's inaudible and invisible outside of the mirror. There was this one guy who insisted otherwise, but no one else believed him. He eventually moved away though, I think."

Hold on, what?

Someone actually claims to have seen and heard Elsa?

Huh, that's one thing I'm certainly going to ask Elsa about when I get home today.

* * *

 ** **What I've written here is based off of my experiences attending an entry level history course at my local university in which the course was split into a lecture component and a tutorial component.****

 ** **All students attend the lecture component, where the professor teaches all the course material.****

 ** **At a later and separate time, the students then attend their chosen tutorial class, where graduate students / teaching assistants elaborate on what was lectured to smaller classes of ~15 students.****

 ** **My prof was nowhere near as bad as the Weasel though, mine was actually cool enough to perform a puppet show to wish us luck on our finals, in fact.****

 ** **I don't actually know if colleges classes are in this format, so I had Anna attend a university instead. If you noticed that discrepancy between the summary and the story, then know that the reason why I wrote "colleges" in the summary instead of "universities" was because I was hard pressed for characters and needed shorter words to fit everything in the summary.****

 ** **Side note for aspiring writers: Don't neglect your summary. If a reader doesn't like your summary, then what reason do they have to believe that the story itself will be any better?****


	6. Chapter 6

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Six

* * *

The rest of the schoolday was relatively uneventful, and flew by rather fast.

The topic had transitioned into recent news and upcoming events, after the topic of Elsa tapered off. We walked in comfortable silence for the most part when that too was exhausted, afterwards.

It wasn't long until we arrived at this little noodle shop in the shopping district, two things of which immediately made it stand out as unique. The first thing I noticed about the place was the fact that I almost didn't, as the place was dwarfed in size by the surrounding big-name chain restaurants. I had almost walked right by the place without even realizing it was there.

The second thing I noticed came after Rapunzel had shoved me inside, which was the fact that the establishment was practically filled to capacity, despite its physical obscurity. I had been wondering earlier why the nearby fast food titans were essentially empty, and I was impressed to find this dinky little shop responsible.

I immediately understood after trying the chef's special, though. The noodles here were real good, and the broth to die for. Absolutely delicious.

Rapunzel resumed talking my ear off as I greedily slurped down my food.

"Hey, Anna?"

"Mmm?" I mumbled, mouth full of noodle.

"I forgot to mention earlier, but the student society here at AU hosts a welcoming party at the beginning of every fall semester. It's basically a drop-in all-day party held on campus for all ages, and it's great for both networking and just having an all-around good time. Wanna come with me?"

I swallowed another bite, and washed it down with some soup. "Yeah, sure. When is it?"

Words really can't express how good this stuff is. Worth every penny.

"It's tomorrow, actually."

I almost gagged.

"Tomorrow?!"

Rapunzel scratched the back of her head. "Yeeaah.. It's early this year for some reason. The event usually isn't held during the first week of classes. Can you still make it? I'm planning to head over during the night, since that's when the good stuff usually happens."

"I think I can manage. My classes should be over by then."

Rapunzel beamed. "Great! I'm planning on renting a locker for the night to stash my party clothes in until I need them. I'll give you the locker combo if you need it."

"Sounds good. Now pipe down and let me eat!"

Rapunzel and I parted ways after the noodle shop, since it was still morning (the noodles _were_ a breakfast gift, after all) and she and I had differing classes that needed to be attended before the day was over.

I still had Economics and Calculus lectures, in particular. Rapunzel had looked at me as though I were a poor abused puppy when she learned I was taking a Calc course. It can't possibly be _that_ bad, right?

..Well, considering how I ended up sleeping through both lectures, I'm probably going to be eating those words very soon.

Funnily enough, the time where I had experienced the most brain activity all day was when I mused about Elsa during on the bus ride home, thinking about my previous discussion with Rapunzel about the guy who claimed to have seen Elsa with his own two eyes.

The story might be a hoax for all I know, seeing how none of the other frat boys corroborated it, but the possibility certainly exists and I hadn't any reason to believe otherwise thus far. I chuckled to myself when I realized just how trivial it'd be to verify it, since I could walk up and ask Elsa herself about it.

* * *

So here I stand, in my living room, having just gotten off the bus and returned home. A quick check on my phone revealed that it was around 6PM, and I could hear the sounds of cooking coming from the kitchen—an indicator that Mom home from work early.

"Mom?" I called out, as I hung up my coat. "Is that you?"

"I'm not sure, can you come check?" she yelled back.

I made my way into the kitchen, curious to see how she had fared in the morning after Elsa left her body. I found her standing by the stove, with something delicious sizzling in the pan.

"Very funny Mom. How was your day today?"

She looked up from the pan, and I could see a bunch of chicken wings cooking away in their own juices. My mouth watered.

"Aren't I the one who's supposed to ask you that?" She laughed. "I took the day off. Had this terrible migraine when I woke this morning, so I slept in."

"Ah, I see.." I fiddled with one of my pigtails.

I couldn't help but feel responsible.

"Otherwise, my day's been rather uneventful." Mom continued. "Spent most of it cleaning up the house and moving in the last of our things, which reminds me! Were you cleaning the kitchen this morning? The place was spotless when I got down here."

!

I had forgotten that Elsa was cleaning up the place during our short time together.

"Uh, yeah. I woke up early this morning and didn't have much else to do."

"How did you manage to get the grease stains off this stove?"

Uh oh.

"I dunno. I guess I just scrubbed at it until it came off..?"

That response earned me a weird look.

"You just scrubbed it right off?" she repeated, in obvious disbelief.

"Y-yeah..?"

I mean, it's what Elsa did, right? She'd just casually wiped the surface clean as though it were dust!

I need an excuse to get outta here before she interrogates me further, and I blurted out the first one that came to mind.

"Hey, um. My school's holding a welcome party tomorrow night and I should probably go prepare an outfit. Do you have any jewelry or something I could borrow for the occasion?"

I turned and left for my room before she could answer.

* * *

The temperature dipped for a split second as I entered my bedroom.

"I assume that's a Hi." I gasped, after recovering from my initial shock. "Hello to you too, Elsa."

I walked over to my wardrobe, grabbing my laptop as I passed by, and flung open its doors to expose the mirrors built into its inside. I was immediately greeted by Elsa's reflection staring back at me, and I can say with utmost confidence that it's super unnerving to look into a mirror and not see yourself in it.

Elsa waved a hello.

"How've you been?" I greeted, automatically.

Elsa gave me this weird look in response.

"Oh, uh, right. I forgot." I chuckled. "Any ideas on how to talk to someone who's mute and incorporeal? I'm asking for a friend."

She raised her finger as though she were about to answer when I cut her off.

"—Any ideas that do not involve my mom?"

Her hand fell.

I laughed. "Guess we'd better come up with another method of communication, then. Unless you like playing charades?"

Elsa's lips curl into a smile as she holds up her hands and shakes them as if to say "Nuh uh! No way am I doing _that_."

I giggled at her childish display, then turned to sit cross legged on my bed.

"Hey, Elsa?" I began. "I've heard this rumour that claims that it's possible to actually see you. Like, as you are right now, without any of these mirror shenanigans. Do you know anything about that?"

She rubbed her chin, then shook her head no after some thought.

"Darn. Do you think it'd be possible, though?"

She shrugged.

"Mmm, changing the subject a bit. How does being a ghost —or whatever you really are— work? Can you interact with things in the world?"

I momentarily turn my attention away toward the laptop I'm lugging around to boot it up, glancing back up at the mirror after inputting my password to find Elsa floating behind me, one arm outstretched and reaching through my body.

My vision snaps down to my very intact and not impaled chest, though I shiver nonetheless. Guess that answers that.

I look back up at the mirror and see Elsa staring intently at my laptop. I can't quite see her facial expression, as her not staring directly into the mirror which makes for an awkward angle, but I can probably guess that this is something new to her.

I gesture to the laptop. "Do you you know what this is, Elsa?"

She shakes her head.

"Wow. Uh. You must be really old then—not that I'm making fun of your age or anything!"

If Elsa was offended then she doesn't show it.

"This is.. a very useful machine." I say quickly, before pulling out my phone. "You've surely seen those guys use these before, right Elsa?"

She eagerly nods.

"Then this laptop is basically a larger, bulkier, and far more powerful version of these little things."

Apparently this explains everything, judging by how Elsa clasps her hands together in delight.

Recognition sparks in her eyes as I navigate my web browser to YouTube, and we end up spending the rest of the night watching a wide variety of videos, from various challenges to dumb memes to silly cats, pausing only for when I had to eat dinner, which was a quiet affair as Mom chose to work the night shift today.

Contrary to her earlier words, or actions rather, Elsa apparently was willing to play a game of charades when I eventually asked if there was anything she wanted to see in particular. She wasn't very good at it, though, seeing how she eventually resorted to spelling out letters with her body after numerous failed attempts. How was I supposed to guess that "Triangle" + "Stirring Motion" + "Floating Around The Room With Both Hands In Front" = "Witch?!"

It was a very fun night, though, all things considered.

* * *

 **Midterm exams. Real tough stuff.**

 **Tried writing in present tense for a bit, though I might have lapsed back into past tense at inappropriate times.**


	7. Chapter 7

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Seven

* * *

I woke once again to the feeling of intense cold.

I groggily forced my eyes open, struggling to get up as my body screamed of fatigue. I had ended up staying awake until dawn last night, bonding with Elsa, before sheer willpower alone was no longer sufficient to keep me from passing out.

But I'd say that was time well spent, sleep deprivation be damned, because I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

My fist came crashing down upon my bedside alarm clock, silencing its infernal racket. The cold subsided.

"Sorry Elsa." I said, with an extended yawn. "But I gotta wake up somehow."

I received a jolt of cold for my snarky reply.

I shambled into the bathroom, body on autopilot as I brushed my teeth and whatnot. I haphazardly threw on a hoodie for the day's attire, content to keep the hood up all day long to cover up my pathetic attempt at combing my hair when I suddenly remembered.

"Crap. There's was this party thing going on today that I should prepare for."

I had forgotten to prepare an outfit the day before.

Oh well.

It's a good thing that I wasn't planning on attending history lecture today. Gives me a whole extra hour or two of free time to goof around.

I turned on my heel and made my way back into my room.

* * *

"Okay!" I said to myself, as I stood in front of my closet. "Where's the rest of my stuff?"

It hadn't taken long to pick out some clothes, since I've quite frankly outgrown the phase where I lived and died on how people thought of me. A green sweater and some shorts would suffice for all I care, but I was still somewhat of a stickler for accessories, and mine were nowhere to be found.

"God damnit." I muttered to myself, as I dug through the unpacked cardboard boxes stacked in the corner. "Where are they?"

The temperature dipped, and I glanced upward toward the wardrobe doors that had been left ajar from the day prior. I found Elsa staring back at me with an inquisitive look on her face.

"Hi Elsa." I greeted, before rummaging further into my stuff. "I'm looking for my jewelry. There's a party going on tonight that I'm planning on attending."

Elsa's face lit up at this, and she beckoned wildly for me to come. Upon arrival, she then began gesturing towards a small little chest that sat at the bottom of the wardrobe.

I had forgotten this thing was here.

I had found the small chest, which was about the size of a toaster oven, during my initial search of the house when we first moved in, but then dismissed it without a second thought when I found it locked.

I wonder what's inside?

I tried the chest again and found that it now opened easily, strangely enough. I took a peek inside and found a cache of smaller plain cardboard boxes, alongside an assortment of other little knick-knacks and things.

I had a distinct feeling that these were Elsa's possessions, and knew well enough that not everything here may be meant for my eyes.

"Is there something in here that you're sharing with me?"

She nodded when I glanced upward at the wardrobe mirror.

"I see." I picked a box at random and held it up. "Is this it?"

She shook her head. I set the box aside onto the floor before picking up another nondescript cardboard box.

She shook her head again, so I dug deeper. This time I held up a parchment of envelopes.

I had a feeling this wasn't it since what in the world would I do with a bunch of letters? But hey who knows.

Elsa's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates before frantically waving me away.

Huh.

My breath hitched when I took another look into the now mostly empty lockbox. Tucked away in a corner, previously hidden by the envelope package, was a small ornate box. I figured that this may very well be what Elsa had intended for me to borrow, since it was my need of jewelry that sparked all this.

My suspicions were confirmed when I held it up and received an enthusiastic nod in response. I opened the box to find a set of beautiful sapphire-blue teardrop earrings the size of my thumbnail sitting inside.

"No way." I glanced back up to Elsa in disbelief. "This? You're letting me borrow _this?_ I can't possibly."

She made an underhanded pushing motion toward me with a smile that stretched ear-to-ear plastered upon her face, as though encouraging me to take it.

"W-what if I lose it?" I stuttered, as I traced the shape of the earrings. "These must cost a fortune."

I looked back up again to find that Elsa had disappeared, leaving me with the jewelry and herself as the victor in our one-sided argument.

"Okay. You win this one, Elsa."

I cleaned up the miniature mess I had made before throwing my spare change of clothes into a plastic bag to sling it over my shoulder. I pocketed the little ornate box for safekeeping, and then made my way downstairs to get myself some breakfast.

* * *

The bus ride to school was uneventful, as were the classes themselves. Most of Calculus was spent hammering prerequisite skills back into our heads, as surely enough, most of us including myself have forgotten almost everything from high school over the summer. How did I ever manage to wrap my brain around logarithms?

I bumped into Rapunzel between classes and took the opportunity to give her my spare change of clothes to stash away in the locker, along with my phone number, because it was kind of silly for us to not be able to text each other. I kept the earrings with me, in the inner coat pocket next to my heart because there's no way I am risking losing these things.

I slept through Economics again, and before long it was somewhere around 3PM—time to meet up with Rapunzel again and get changed for the party.

"How was class?" Rapunzel began, calling over to me from a stall as we changed in the bathroom. Classes were in session, so we had the place mostly to ourselves.

"Fine." I yelled back from a stall of my own, as I pulled my hoodie off and replaced it with the green sweater. "I feel that I might not do so well in Econ though. I slept through today's lecture as well."

"Ooh, not a good idea.." she warned. "I heard that the prof for your class is pretty tough if you skip."

I step out of my stall, Elsa's sapphire earrings in hand. "I can't help it. His monotonous voice puts me to sleep."

Rapunzel had already finished changing, and was now standing by a sink applying some makeup. I made my way to a sink adjacent to her, and leaned in to wear the earrings. I felt a tiny pang of discomfort as I inserted the first, and a deep chill screamed through my body when I did the second. My footing slipped and I nearly fell into the sink in surprise.

"You alright?" Rapunzel asked, unable to check for herself as she was in the middle of applying some eyeliner.

"Y-yeah." I stuttered. "Just felt a chill all of a sudden. Did you?"

"No. I didn't feel a thing." She replied. "Which is strange, because I'm not wearing a big bulky sweater like you are. If you did, then by all means I should've."

...Strange indeed, but maybe it's nothing? I turned around to stash the empty earring box in my backpack when I stumbled and fell to the floor for real this time because _holy crap_.

Elsa.

Was right in front of me.

At school.

And I could see her.

Without a mirror.

"What the hell?"

* * *

 **I don't actually know how large a gemstone would have to be to qualify as "eye-boggling large," so I went with a guess. Would the size of the backspace key be considered as large?**

 **I also have never taken an entry level Economics course, so I have no idea what they teach! Which probably means that Anna's going to be sleeping through a lot of those lectures.** **I'd totally have this covered if Anna was a Chemistry major, but that wouldn't really fit with the story.**


	8. Chapter 8

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter 8

 _I stumbled and fell to the bathroom floor because holy crap._

 _Elsa was right in front of me, and I could see her. Without a mirror._

" _What the hell?"_

* * *

Rapunzel whipped around and ran over, offering me a hand.

"Are you okay, Anna? What happened?"

I quickly collected my thoughts as my gaze shifted rapidly back and forth between Rapunzel and Elsa. Rapunzel evidently couldn't see the metaphorical elephant floating right in front of her, so I made the snap decision to play off my fall as coolly as possible.

"I just slipped. I'm fine."

"Again?" Rapunzel asked incredulously, as she pulled me to my feet. "You almost fell into the sink a few minutes ago. Are you feeling well? Because if you're not you might want to consider heading home. There's always another time."

I glanced over to Elsa, who now hovered in the air slightly behind Rapunzel. She made another underhanded pushing motion with her arms, which I chose to interpret as " _Go ahead."_

"I'm okay." I replied, somewhat truthfully. "I'm just a naturally clumsy person who happens to own a pair of two left feet."

Rapunzel laughed.

"Mm. I can tell.. well, ready to head out?"

I discretely looked over Rapunzel's shoulder toward Elsa, who gave me a thumbs-up gesture.

"Yeah. Ready whenever you are."

* * *

Rapunzel lead me, us if you count Elsa, out the main building and back down the brick walkway before turning onto one of the its many sidebranches.

I quietly stole a glance at Elsa every now and then as we walked, observing her as she quietly floated along my left side. I wanted more than anything to figure out what the hell was going on, but I couldn't exactly talk her or anything what with Rapunzel hugging my right side.

I was slightly perturbed by how not a single person who walked by in this rather populous area acknowledged Elsa's presence.

Soon the sidewalk lead us into an outdoor grassy park area, where I could evidently see that the event was taking place.

Near the park entrance lay a snack bar, manned by fellow students wearing hoodies with the words "Arendelle University" proudly emblazoned upon them. Deeper into the park, scattered amongst the various trees, benches, and fields, were the partygoers: people of assorted ages all enjoying the company of one another in the bright sunlight.

I noticed the occasional faculty member sprinkled amongst the masses, they too politely chatting and mingling alongside undergrads and graduates alike. The Weasel was not among them, unsurprisingly.

"This.. is certainly not what I expected." I whispered to Rapunzel. "This is more reminiscent of a cocktail party."

She laughed.

"Well, yeah. Seeing how it's like 4PM right now." She replied. "Wait 'til it gets dark. That's when everyone to moves indoors and gets wasted. Then we'll live up to all your high school superstitions."

We approached the snackbar, where Rapunzel more than enthusiastically greeted some girls standing behind the counter whose names I didn't catch. I wanted more than anything right now to get some alone time with Elsa, to be honest, but I had no convenient mechanism through which to escape without arousing suspicion so I grabbed a plate of food and made idle chatter with Rapunzel's friends as I searched for one.

One finally presented itself, after some time, when Rapunzel was eventually pulled away by a different set of male friends who were off-duty. I figured that this was as good as an opportunity I'd get to split off from Rapunzel.

It took much convincing, as she was unwilling to leave me alone and insisted that it was fine if I tagged along, but eventually I was able to secure my privacy with a promise to meet up with her in the club later this evening.

Soon I was alone.

I wandered down a cobblestone path that lead to a fountain, glancing over at the apparition who was still quietly floating along in pace with me, apparently having never left my side during this entire time.

"Hello, Elsa." I whispered, half to myself. The sound was all but drowned out by ambient chatter, so I was caught completely off guard when I heard a soft reply.

"Greetings, Anna."

I whipped around in surprise, nearly dropping my paper plate of food.

"E-Elsa?"

She turned to towards me as well, her eyes wide as wide as mine.

"Yes..?"

"I-I can hear you.." I stuttered. "How..?"

Elsa quickly regained her composure, and folded her hands in front of her. "It appears that you can, though how I do not know. You are attracting attention, by the way."

I looked around, and indeed there were a couple of guys staring. I scratched the back of my head and laughed nervously, before nonchalantly walking off as though nothing had happened. They returned to whatever they were doing.

I ended up wandering into a secluded garden, and after confirming that we were well and truly alone I sat myself underneath a tree. Elsa floated down, taking a crouching position in front of me. I popped a grape into my mouth from my plate before offering one to Elsa.

That earned me an amused grin as her hand phased through both the fruit and my outstretched hand. I laughed.

"Oops. Forgot."

Elsa laughed as well. "A shame. It's been a while since I've tasted fruit. One of the many drawbacks, I suppose, about my current condition."

I popped the grape into my mouth and followed it up with a slice of orange. "Right. Speaking of which.."

"I do not know why I am all of a sudden visible to you, if you were wondering." Elsa interrupted. "In fact, I do not know why I am even here."

"Huh?"

"Where should I begin..?" Elsa paused, as if deep in thought. "I've discovered over the years that I'm physically limited to a strict radius around my house. Straying too far causes me to feel sluggish, before eventually I hit a mental wall that prevents me from proceeding further. This has been the case for my entire existence, and yet I found myself experiencing said sluggishness in my own bedroom not too long after you exited the house today."

"..That's strange." I noted. "What could've caused that?"

"Evidently, something unprecedented has happened today. I have an idea on what, but before I voice my theory, can you explain the circumstances that lead to you being able to see me without the aid of a mirror?"

I thought for a moment. What could I have done in the bathroom that would've possibly—

Oh. Of course.

"These earrings." I fingered the sapphires in question.

"Indeed. I suspect them to be the cause as well."

"What could be so special about these though?"

"I know not. They were a gift given to me back when I was alive long ago. From whom I do not remember."

"Shame—Hey, wait. You were confined to your house the entire time you were a ghost? That's terrible!"

Elsa raised an eyebrow in response to my sudden change in subject. Or maybe it was in amusement because of how long it took for me to process something she had said a few minutes ago?

"It certainly was a lonely existence, to say the least. Though, these past few hours have more than made up for all those that I've lost. Being able to see modern life has been quite a treat, for which I thank you."

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks.

"It's nothing to thank me for. I didn't really _do_ anything after all."

"Don't be silly, Anna. How could this have possibly happened had it not been for you?" She inspected her nonexistent nails. "Now, is there anything you'd like to discuss? Speak your mind, as I have all the time in the world now."

Elsa smiled when she noticed how red my cheeks must've gotten by now.

"O-okay.." I began. "Now that we know that these earrings are responsible for being able to see you in person.. does that jog your memory about that one guy who supposedly was also able to see you?"

She rested her chin on a fist.

"Indeed it does.. I remember now. He was different from all the other boys who visited, though similar in look to the redheaded male I had mentioned back during our first talk in your kitchen. The one who was excessively rude during his visit."

I noticed Elsa's hands ball into fists.

"Rumour boy came with the intent to loot my home, but made the mistake of doing so while inebriated. I didn't expect anything when he entered at first, since by now I had grown accustomed to the 'Bloody Elsa' myth. I was waiting for him in the bathroom as a result, but grew suspicious when I heard sounds coming from elsewhere. I found him ransacking my room."

Elsa's eyes flashed a frightening glowing red, its intensity far surpassing that of what she had displayed back when she scared a few years off my lifespan during our first meeting. I shuddered.

"He noticed me emerge from the wall, which I suppose reinforces the earring theory as I found them in his pocket shortly before I left him unconscious outside in a puddle of his own vomit, after using him to move all my possessions into the lockbox."

I whimpered at the mental image conjured by my mind.

"He lived. I left him in the recovery position."

Elsa's irises returned to their normal blues. She made a coughing sound.

"Anything else?" She asked. "Perhaps a different topic?"

* * *

 **I've always wondered why people preface their fics with some variant of "I don't own X and Y."**

 **On other websites I can understand, I guess, but doesn't FFNet have some sort of blanket disclaimer on this kind of stuff?**


	9. Chapter 9

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Nine

* * *

We talked about significantly less disturbing topics afterwards.

It turned out that Elsa somehow couldn't remember the time period from which she was alive, so we ended up playing a 20 Questions-esque game from what little she could still recall to find out. We were able to narrow it down to somewhere during the 1930s, give or take a few years, due to clues such as:

The clothes present in her wardrobe (definitely not modern fashion).

Her apparently having never seen a computer before yesterday night (—1980).

Her having strong memories of the home radio and gramophone (1920—), but not of the television (—1950).

Knowing about the Great Depression (1930s—).

But not about World War 2 (—1940).

It was quite the fun little deductive exercise, all in all, and I could tell that Elsa was enjoying herself as well. We chalked up oddities such as the modern appliances found in her home to renovations made after she had 'passed away,' though I admit that we weren't able to explain Elsa's inexplicable knowledge of the recovery position for unconscious people (1990—).

That little tidbit ended up throwing us off significantly at first, before I eventually gave up trying to explain it and figured that it'd be for the best to just forget about it.

Following our little game, I then asked Elsa whether or not she remembered how she became what she was, the answer to which was a noncommittal shrug as she "conveniently" had absolutely no recollection about that either.

Though in hindsight, perhaps it would've been for the best that I didn't know.. considering that her last memory theoretically would've been during a time of widespread global despair.

..Anyway.

Having newly learned that she was technically old enough to be my grandmother, Elsa was just about to launch into a passionate "back in my day.." speech when I noticed the sun slowly beginning to set and the partygoers subsequently beginning to filter out of the park.

I quickly checked the time on my phone —6PM— and stood up, interrupting Elsa just as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Everyone's leaving. We should get going too."

The look on Elsa's face betrayed her blatant annoyance, and there was little that I could do to stifle the giggle that bubbled out.

"Come on, Elsa, you can tell me later. Didn't you say that you had all the time in the world?"

She groaned.

"I do not miss having my words thrown back into my face, one thing's for certain.."

Nevertheless, Elsa did the ghostly equivalent of "standing up" and we made our way out of the park side-by-side.

* * *

"People regularly come to these establishments?" Elsa asked in disbelief, as we stepped into the club Rapunzel had directed me to before we parted ways.

"Apparently!" I shouted, cupping my hands over my ears in a futile attempt to block out the ear-splitting screech of the music and the dull throbbing of the bass. I could feel the floor shaking even now from where I stood in the entrance, and could only dread how bad it would be in the heart of the facility.

We made our way deeper in, weaving through massive crowds of people shouting their lungs out over the music, contributing to the cacophony all the while. I very quickly grew profoundly jealous at Elsa's ability to phase through things.

I miraculously managed to spot Rapunzel sitting in a booth alongside her male friends, and pushed my way through towards them. This is hard work.

"Anna! Great to see you!" Rapunzel exclaimed as I arrived, twirling a cocktail glass in her hand. "You really have impeccable timing. Guys, this is Anna!"

"Hi." I added, lamely, as I paused to catch my breath. I must really be out of shape.

A shaggy blonde leaned forward from where he sat, resting his elbow on the table and his chin on his palm.

"Hey Anna." He greeted. "Name's Kristoff. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Olaf!" began the shorter, also blonde young man wedged between Kristoff and Rapunzel. "I like—"

"I'm Hans." interrupted the redhead. "But the girls call me Mr. Hands, because of my skills in bed." This guy was oozing rehearsed charm, and I could see Elsa shaking her head at him from the corner of my eye.

"They call you that because you can't even last 5 seconds and have to resort to other methods to save face!" howled Kristoff, laughing maniacally. A chorus of laughter erupted from the others as the redhead slunk back into his chair, fuming.

"Screw you." Was all he could muster for a reply.

"Ahem!" cut in Rapunzel. "Why don't you sit next to me, Anna? We've got a long night of partying ahead of us!"

I gladly accepted, seeing how this would maximize the distance between Hans and I. The booth was semi-circular in shape, with Hans and I sitting at opposite ends. Rapunzel was to my right, with Olaf sandwiched between her and Kristoff. There was a noticeable berth of distance between Kristoff and Hans.

Elsa floated by in the aisle, quietly exploring the very modern scene around her in wholly justified curiosity. I can only imagine how amazed she must be at the present day facilities.

"Anna?" Olaf asked. "Hello?"

I shook myself out of my reverie, and turned to see all 4 sets of eyes looking at me.

"Uh, hi?"

"Hello!" laughed Rapunzel. "We had been talking about how you were living in Winter's old house, and the guys over here have like a million questions to ask of you."

"O-oh. The place isn't really all that special, but sure. Ask away."

Kristoff leaned back, crossing one leg over the other.

"Okay." He began. "Can you settle this bet between Willy-Nilly —here he jerked his head over towards Hans— and I?"

"Fuck you, Toffee."

"Uh, sure? What's it about?" Can't say I'm a very big fan of being shoved into the spotlight, that's for sure..

"The bloody old bitch." said Hans. "Candy-ass over here thinks the myth is a fraud, but doesn't have to balls to back up his claim."

"It's more like I have the morals to not break into old homes. Anyway, Rapunzel told us what she told you about the myth and what you said of it, but I gotta hear it for myself. Is Elsa real?"

I glanced over towards the ghost in question and found her admiring the lightshow created by the modern dance floor lights in awe, which I suppose would admittedly be quite a shock to someone used to a disco ball. I turned back to see all 3 sets of male eyes staring at me, waiting for my response. Rapunzel giggled as she sipped from her fruity cocktail.

"Well? Don't leave them hanging." she said. "They wouldn't believe me earlier. Kristoff's one of those dumb History majors who insists on primary sources and what not."

I sighed internally, already regretting the hole I had dug myself into yesterday lying to Rapunzel about Elsa. Reap what you sow.

I parroted the words that I had spoken to Rapunzel the day prior, that I had tried and failed to find anything significant.

"Woo!" shouted Kristoff as he jumped to his feet, loudly enough that everyone in the vicinity turned to look his way. "Looks like you owe me 100 dollars, Nilly-Willy!"

Hans cursed, his fists slamming the table before he got up and stormed away without another word. Kristoff dropped back into his seat with a loud _WHUMP._

"Hah! I don't really care about the money. I just wanted to wipe that smug grin off his face."

"Did you really not see anything though, Anna?" asked Olaf, with a hint of disappointment. I suspect that deep down he'd been secretly hoping that I'd say yes.

I shrugged. "Rapunzel never told me what I was looking for, so I dunno. Maybe I actually did see Elsa, and just didn't know it?"

Olaf shook his head. "Definitely not, then. The kiddies all insist that it's a decidedly feminine spirit who comes to scare the shit out of you. As in, you'd 100% know if you saw it."

"Looks like it's just another stupid conspiracy that the fraternity was cooking up then, unless the Elsa they were seeing was their own drunken reflection because they all go up there completely smashed." laughed Kristoff. "Regardless! We're here to have fun! How about I treat you to a drink, Anna?"

I shook my head. "Coke, please. Not a fan of alcohol."

"Coming right up!" The blonde scooted his way out the booth, before sauntering off to the bar with a jump in his step.

Rapunzel laughed. "You really made his day, Anna. Those two were going at it for months."

I glanced over to the dance floor, this time to find Elsa floating behind the DJ, mesmerized by the new little toys the DJs of today get to play with.

Guess that'd make Kristoff the second person whose day I've made today.

* * *

 **Writing this chapter was fun, but I hope I don't end up hamstringing myself by injecting real world history into the story seeing how I didn't happen to have lived during the 1930s, and won't know what is and isn't realistic for Elsa as a result.**

 **Tidbit of trivia for the day: the plot ideas for this story are brainstormed primarily when I'm lying in bed, dead tired, and about to fall asleep.**

 **I typically end up tapping away furiously on my phone, frantically writing down everything I possibly can for 15 some minutes before** **I collapse out of fatigue.** **It's like the God of Writing decides to turn on the faucet only when it's most inconvenient for the writer.**

 **What a jerk.**


	10. Chapter 10

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Ten

* * *

I absentmindedly gave my empty can of Coke a shake, pivoting my chin from where it rested on my palm to observe the others enjoying themselves as the party raged on.

Rapunzel's boyfriend, a guy named Eugene, had arrived not too long ago to whisk the girl off her feet and lead her to the dance floor, which the two were now currently dominating together. Likewise, Olaf's gigantic hulking brother, who was called Marshmellow funnily enough, had also just recently arrived to challenge the remaining two guys to a drinking contest. The three of them were now seated by the bar, chugging a ludicrous amount of beer.

I think Kristoff's winning, judging by his colossal pyramid of empty cans. Olaf's already hit his limit, though considering his small physical size I'm not altogether too surprised. I'd say he did pretty well, not that I speak from experience or anything.

And Elsa..?

The ghost was nowhere to be seen, though I figure that she's probably just buried somewhere in the crowd. She's more or less the main reason why I haven't just up and left already, since I'm not heartless enough to rob her of the opportunity to explore modern life.

So here I am, alone and bored out of my mind. My phone battery had died a while ago.

I was about to get up and grab myself another can of Coke, maybe join the guys at the bar when I an obnoxiously sweet voice spoke from my left.

"Hey there, sweetcheeks."

Hans, of course.

"Willy-Nilly, was it?" I offhandedly asked, staring intently at the empty can in my hand. "There something you want from me?"

Hans laughed.

"Well, yes, actually." He said, after a pause. "I don't think we got off to a very good start, and I'd like to fix that."

Wait what.

He's not serious is he?

I shifted my view to find him setting down a champagne glass onto the table as a peace offering of sorts. I shook my head.

"Sorry. I don't drink alcohol." I gave my empty soda can another shake for emphasis.

A look of surprise flashed over Hans' face, which was replaced in an instant by a forced smile.

He waved dismissively.

"Oh, that's fine. It's actually ginger ale. What say you drink up and we'll hit the dance floor together?"

I eyed him suspiciously.

"I don't accept unsealed drinks from strangers. Please leave me alone, Hans. Maybe some other time."

Hans ran a hand through his hair, and I could see the faint traces of frustration dot his face.

"No, really. I must insist." He pleaded. "Please Anna, you're killing me here. Can't you find it in your heart to give me another chance right now?"

The way that Hans is speaking right now is seriously rubbing me the wrong way, his attempt at guilt tripping me notwithstanding. His stubborn insistence that I accept his drink is also setting off my internal alarm bells.

I took a metaphorical shot in the dark, gambling that there's something in this glass that shouldn't.

"I said no, Hans. Besides, there's obviously a little more than just 'ginger ale' in this cup."

The redhead's eyes widened as he spluttered in disbelief, which all but confirmed my suspicions as far as I cared. I pressed on before he could reply, staring him dead in the eyes.

"Are you really trying to drug me, Hans?"

He discreetly reached for the glass, but I slid it away, keeping it out of reach.

"I wonder what'll happen if campus security sees this?"

Hans' expression grew dark at these words, revealing his true colours. He suddenly lunged forward and snatched the glass out of my hands, downing it all in one large gulp before tossing the cup aside.

I then watched in confusion as he slunk away, loudly cursing at everything and anyone that got in his way.

"Golly, what was that all about?" Asked a wispy, feminine, and very recognizable voice from above and behind. I whirled around to find Elsa mock dangling off one of the hanging lights illuminating the club.

I sighed.

"Can't say that I know, honestly, but my guess is that he was trying to get me to drink a drugged glass, which probably would've lead into terrible things happening to me if I'd accepted."

Elsa made an O with her mouth.

"Was that what he was trying to do? I had seen him earlier serendipitously pour the contents of a small flask into that very cup, but had thought nothing more of it. I had thought the action to be akin to bringing a pepper grinder into a restaurant."

I shook my head, chuckling slightly at the ridiculousness of smuggling pepper into a restaurant. "I guess these predators of these kind weren't all that common back in your time."

The ghost shook her head. "Unheard of, in fact." She then burst into laughter. "Though the same could be said for almost everything else in this facility!"

I laughed as well, thankful somewhat for the change in subject. "I can't even imagine the culture shock you must going through right now. How're you coping?"

Elsa laughed as well. "Quite well, I'd say! Allow me to demonstrate?"

"...Demonstrate?" I repeated, slightly confused. "What do you mean?"

Elsa gestured to the dance floor.

"May I have this dance?"

* * *

It turns out that Elsa is a pretty good dancer.

She'd apparently spent most of the past hour observing from the sidelines, and managed to pick up enough cues such that her mimicry was on point. I was really impressed. She has a really captivating pair of hips! I could get lost watching them sway from side to side...

On a side note, I finally learned that Elsa does in fact have feet. Elsa had laughed herself silly when I finally mustered the courage to ask, but it turns out that they really were just extremely well obscured by her dress and ambient glow.

It wasn't long though before I needed a break, considering how out of shape I was. The myriad of sweaty bodies rubbing up against me certainly didn't help any.

I stumbled outside onto an empty wooden patio, before collapsing onto a conveniently placed deck chair.

The air was refreshingly cold out here.

Elsa made her way to my side, floating above me such that I could see her as I reclined back into my seat.

"Well, Anna. Did you find that enjoyable?"

I whistled softly.

"It was incredible. I'm actually really surprised by how fast you picked up the moves, to be honest. Were you much of a dancer back in your time, Elsa?"

Elsa sighed wistfully.

"I was indeed. Dancing was a great passion of mine in fact, and I suppose my ability to adapt to your modern styles today could be because of the fact that the dances of my time had placed an emphasis on improvisation."

Interesting.

"What did you old geezers consider as dancing in the 30s anyway?" I playfully asked.

"Very funny." deadpanned Elsa, before going on to explain. "My memory eludes me in regards to the specifics of the dance itself, but I do recall the name of one of the many dances I've danced as being the Lindy Hop."

I cocked my head in confusion.

"The what-a- _what_? Never heard of it before." I perked up in my seat, pouncing on the opportunity to see Elsa in action again. "What was it like? Could you show me?"

The apparition shook her head solemnly.

"I wholeheartedly would, but alas cannot as I simply do not satisfy the dance's physical requirements, seeing how I lack both the ability to be affected by gravity and a partner whom I can physically contact."

She lowered herself to the floor, and I could see her physically struggle to simulate walking. It looked as though she were trying to walk while underwater—the actions were there, but they weren't having the desired effect.

"Your modern dance styles do not necessarily require either, as you yourself demonstrated earlier, hence why I was able to adapt to them so readily."

I slumped back into my chair.

"Dang. That sucks."

I closed my eyes, resting them as I tuned out the ambient noise filtering its way out from inside the club.

It wasn't long until they flew back open as I realized something.

"Hey, wait. That means you've been robbed of the ability to dance for, what, over 80 years now? That's terrible! Didn't you say that you were passionate about dancing or something?" I spluttered in disbelief. "How did you—What did you even do to pass the time during all those long years then!?"

Elsa laughed. A small, sad laugh.

"You are correct. As for what I did to keep myself occupied? It is simple."

She turned away, staring off into the stars high above.

"I waited, counting the days until someone like you came by to rescue me."

* * *

 **I had this really dumb and haughty standard back when I wrote in 2014, during the time where all the big name stories were still in progress.**

 **(Anna Summers PA, Cafe Liegeois, Love Lesson 9, and of course r9k come to mind)**

 **I basically rated a story solely on its number of followers. If a story didn't have 10 followers per chapter, I wouldn't read it. Wouldn't even consider it. Didn't even look at the summary, as ridiculous as it sounds.** **I held myself to that standard too. I actually probably would've abandoned my old stories if they didn't get 10 per chapter either.**

 **I can only imagine how much stupidity I'd be beating out of my past self if I had a chance to meet them.**


	11. Chapter 11

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Eleven

* * *

Oh _man_ am I lost.

I stayed up far too late yesterday, goofing around and whatnot at the party. Didn't get home until like 4 in the morning and got like 3 hours of sleep as a result. Now I'm really regretting my life choices, as I haphazardly shuffle through a modern rendition of the freaking minotaur's labyrinth itself while searching for my history tutorial class.

I had earlier stepped off the main hallway that interconnected all the lecture halls, and into one of its many side passageways in order to make my way into this awful maze. Much like how the main brick pathway had sidewalks that could be likened to the branches from a tree trunk, these little hallways and classrooms were like leaves and their veins.

Except that there's a million leaves and they all have like fifty veins each. Whoever designed this place needs to be fired.

I've forgotten which one of these hundred thousand tiny identical classrooms is mine. What was the room number again? B9201? AQ5005? SSC7071? Hell if I remember.

I ventured up a flight of stairs, frustration seeping in.

By now I had managed to wander deep enough in such that I was now comfortably stranded far outside the reaches of the school's Wi-Fi zone, which of course made looking the room number up on my phone significantly harder. There wasn't much point in asking one of the few people stilling milling about for directions, because its not like they'd know where my tutorial class is.

Oh boy.

I don't even have the option of hoping that I stumble by my class through sheer dumb luck because every single one of these rooms is indistinguishable from one another when their doors are shut.

"I'm pretty screwed." I mutter under my breath.

"What seems to be the problem?" Calls out someone from above. I glance upwards to see Elsa floating down from the ceiling, presumably having been checking out the building's wiring and such while I floundered about.

I sighed, half to myself.

"I'm screwed because I have no idea where my next class is, and I can't afford to skip either because that'd basically guarantee that I fail the course."

"Hmm..." Elsa hummed. "That does seem to be a problem."

The ghost thought for some time, momentarily flipping back and forth between translucency and transparency as she did. How does she do that?

She asked, after about a minute. "What material does your course cover?"

"Huh? Well. History 101 is about the recent-ish history of Arendelle. Mostly looks at events that happened in the past few centuries or so."

I pulled the assigned textbook out of my backpack, and held it up for her to see.

"Is that so? How very interesting." Elsa leaned in and inspected the cover. "Very well. I will go see if I can locate such a class. Stay here, Anna. I will be back shortly."

And with that, Elsa turned and disappeared into a wall. I watched, slightly dumbfounded, as she left.

...Huh.

Well, it certainly was a unique way to finding a class. Guess that I shouldn't really have been all that surprised that befriending a ghost would come with special "benefits" such as these.

I twiddled my thumbs for a bit, admiring the trees outside. Though true to her word it didn't take long for Elsa to return.

"I believe I have located your tutorial class."

I jumped in surprise, and turned to see her emerge from the floor.

"Geez, already? That was quick."

"It... was not a wholly difficult task. Come this way."

Elsa then lead me down a winding flight of stairs, followed by such a dizzying amount of left and right turns I very quickly gave up trying to memorize the directions for future reference. Eventually she stopped in front of one of the million nondescript doors littered about the facility, and gestured for me to enter after physically sticking half her body clear through the door to confirm that this was the place.

I made my way into the class and could immediately see how Elsa had found it so quickly—the blackboard had the words HISTORY 101 written upon it in hilariously large block letters.

I mouthed a "thank you" to Elsa, who had already moved to read some random oblivious student's textbook over his shoulder. She shot me a thumbs up before returning her attention to the book.

I dropped myself into the nearest seat and prepared to listen to the TA, seeing how he was actually willing to do what we paid for them to do—teach us history.

* * *

"That certainly was an informative session." commented Elsa, as everyone began filing out of the room following the conclusion of today's tutorial. "I was not aware that the relationship between Corona and Arendelle had spanned so far back. I personally thought it to be a rather recent development."

"Apparently not." I replied, packing my bags. My phone buzzed in my pocket—a text from Rapunzel.

 _h_ _ey,_ _got time for a_ _coffee?_

I tapped in a reply.

 _yeah, sure. nice timing lol, just finished my history tut._

Rapunzel's reply was almost instantaneous.

 _cool, meet you at that starbucks near the noodle shop then_

I looked around, confirming that the room was empty before calling out. "Hey Elsa, I'm gonna go grab a coffee with Rapunzel. That alright with you?"

"Coffee?" Elsa repeated in surprise, before laughing. "I had thought that such a popular drink would not die so quietly. It would appear that my presumably long-deceased friend now owes me money."

"Huh?" I looked at her confusedly.

"Coffee was not easy to come by, back in the day." She explained. "The World War had done terrible things to international trade, as did the Great Depression. A skeptical friend of mine had believed that our coffee markets would never recover after their collapse. I disagreed, so I took her up on her wager by investing in the coffee industry during the 30s."

Oh, makes sense.

"Guess you'll never get that money now. Who would've thought that dying would be a good way to avoid paying your dues?" I laughed, before slinging my backpack over my shoulder, ready to leave.

"Let's get going now. Rapunzel's probably already waiting for us."

"Very well then." Elsa agreed. "Let us depart."

I waited for her to lead the way, though the ghost merely stared back at me for some time, unmoving.

I coughed into my fist and gestured to the door.

"Uh? I don't actually know the way out...?"

"Ah yes, silly me."

The ghost lightly slapped herself on the forehead, before making her way to the door, chuckling.

"Hold my hand now dearie, wouldn't want you to get lost, do we?" Her eye twinkled as she emphasized in that last part, rubbing it into my face.

I rolled my eyes.

"I think I'll be fine, _grandma_."

* * *

Rapunzel was indeed already waiting for us, sipping a mocha with her head buried in her phone when we arrived, though it took me like 5 minutes to find her first. Elsa apparently had already found her within seconds of entering the Starbucks, but decided to let me find her in the crowd myself instead being helpful by pointing her out to me or anything.

Stupid ghost.

I approached Rapunzel from behind, tapping her on the left shoulder before moving to sit by her right. I laughed as she whirled about in confusion.

"Hey Rapunzel, what's up?"

Her eyes narrowed when they finally met mine, and she gave me a swift flick in the forehead.

"You little jerk." She greeted, laughing as well. "How was tutorial?"

I leaned forward in my chair, resting my chin on my palm and my elbow on the table. "Not bad. I actually had a harder time trying to find the stupid room itself over keeping up with the discussion."

I left for a moment to grab myself a coffee, watching as Elsa explored the employee-only areas while I waited in line. Rapunzel was staring at me intently when I returned to my seat, drink in hand.

She spoke up as I sat down.

"Hey. So. Main reason why I called you over was because I wanted to ask you something. Did anything happen between you and Hans last night?"

I shrugged.

"Like what?" I asked. "I didn't get into his pants or anything if that's what you're worried about. 100% don't plan to either for that matter."

Rapunzel spluttered for a bit, evidently not expecting such a response.

"Uh. Oops. Too much information, maybe?" I laughed nervously.

"Well. Uh... That's okay." She shook her head. "Yeah, I don't really need to know about your sex life plans or anything, but it's good to know that you're gonna stay away from that creep."

She took a sip of her mocha.

"It's just that the slimeball went to an afterparty and apparently trashed the place in some drunken fit or something. Made a complete ass of himself. There's like a million photos and videos of him online flipping tables and throwing up everywhere and shit. You can probably find some if you Google his name."

"Oookay." I replied, taking a long draft from my coffee. "...and where do I come into this?"

Rapunzel sighed.

"The guy's muttering something in most of the videos. Usually the ones where he's wrecking shit up. It's hard to catch but it's clearly something about you, which is why I'm worried, you know?"

I cleared my throat, leaning forward in my chair as I rested my chin on my fist once again. I then told Rapunzel about how Hans had aggressively tried to get me to accept the drink he'd offered back during the party, and of my suspicions at the time of what such aggression entailed.

"Mmm." Hummed Rapunzel, thoughtfully. "The police did say that they found some sort of drugs both on and in him after they took him away. Maybe that's what he was trying to do? Make you go apeballs crazy instead?"

I shuddered to imagine what would've happened had I actually accepted his drink.

Though...

"I don't get w _hy_ he'd want to do that to me, though. Or why he'd deliberately drug himself, after I said no. We hardly even know each other."

Rapunzel shrugged.

"I don't know either, but the guy clearly has it out for you for some reason and I figured that it was important enough for me to tell you face-to-face. Watch yourself, will you?"

"Yeah, I will." I reached over and slung an arm over her shoulder, giving her a quick squeeze. "Thanks for everything, y'know? Being my friend and keeping me in the loop, even though I literally just moved a few days ago? I appreciate it a lot."

Rapunzel chuckled, before flicking me in the forehead again so she could wriggle out of my grip.

"Yeah yeah, don't sweat it Anna, anytime." She rose out of her chair. "Anyway, I gotta class coming up soon. Catch ya later."

Rapunzel turned to leave, turning back around at the last second to quip.

"Hey, and get yourself a coat will ya? It's almost winter, and it gets brutally cold over here in Arendelle. What the heck are you doing, still walking around in a t-shirt and shorts?"

* * *

 **I believe that Frozen takes place in Europe, so I wrote Elsa such that she wasn't altogether too familiar with coffee since I think only USA came out strong in the coffee market after WW1.**


	12. Chapter 12

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Twelve

 **Mm. Maybe I should note that this chapter might not rate as T.**

 **Idk.**

* * *

What the hell was I doing in a t-shirt and shorts indeed. I was cold, tired, and dreadfully hungry by the time I got home.

"Mom?" I called out, as I entered through the front door.

There was no reply.

Strange. She's normally home by now.

I stepped into the empty kitchen, and found a sheet of paper weighed down by a pen staring back at me on the counter top.

"Anna." It read. "Some miracle too-good-to-be-true opportunity just dropped into my lap this afternoon, so I'm going to be out late today. You can order takeout for dinner, or reheat some of last night's leftovers if you're feeling lazy. Be back around sometime this evening. Love you! XOXO."

Mm. Well, okay.

This is new for mom. What kind of miracle opportunity could she have gotten at work? We'd only just moved in a few days ago.

My stomach grumbled.

Guess I'll find out later.

I was in the midst of reheating a plate of leftovers when Elsa materialized in the doorway, her having wandered off somewhere sometime during my nap on the bus ride home. She gave a short, polite wave when I turned in her direction.

"Greetings, Anna. What is this strange contraption?"

I followed her gaze, and found that she was staring at the humming microwave oven we'd installed shortly after moving in.

"This thing?" I asked, pointing.

The ghost nodded.

"We call it a microwave. It heats up food really fast."

"Interesting..." mused Elsa, as she then proceeded to curiously poke her head directly into the microwave oven while it was still in operation. She gasped as the timer suddenly beeped in her face, and threw herself back in surprise.

I laughed.

"It does that when it's finished. Usually only takes a few minutes for it to be done." I reached in and retrieved a steaming plate of mashed potatoes, broccoli, and meatloaf.

Elsa absentmindedly dusted herself off, despite lacking any actual dust particles on her, before doing a double-take in surprise.

"What! Only a few minutes?!" she gasped, before laughing. "What a marvelous invention! And here I had thought that _I_ lived in an advanced age!"

I dropped myself into an elevated stool by the kitchen counter, and spooned a mouthful of meat into my mouth. As I chewed, I could only wonder at what "marvelous" inventions our _own_ grandkids would eventually be showing us in the future.

* * *

I went upstairs to take a very desperately needed warm shower after my impromptu dinner. Arendelle really does get cold, and fast.

Elsa laughed as I stumbled my way up the steps, and made a show of ascending straight up into the air, flaunting her ability to float.

"Showoff." I muttered.

I made my way into the bathroom and shut the door, shouting "Don't peep, alright?" to Elsa as it closed. I then stripped down, shedding both Elsa's sapphire earrings and my slightly damp clothing. The jewelry was carefully set aside, whereas on the other hand the soaked garments were haphazardly thrown on the floor.

I climbed into the shower stall, turning on the beautiful, beautiful hot water.

It felt like nirvana.

I could just stand here for days, enjoying the heat.

But that wouldn't be very economical.

I began to lather myself up with soap. As I did, however, the temperature in the shower suddenly plummeted. I screamed and leaped backwards in the stall as icy cold water droplets pricked my skin.

"Elsa?! What the hell?"

The temperature stabilized shortly afterwards. God, that stupid freaking ghost.

I looked at the shampoo bottle in disdain, debating whether or not to wash my hair as well.

Sigh.

Guess I should.

I worked at my hair with a large handful of shampoo after finishing up with the soap. The temperature dropped, _again,_ just as I began to run my hands through my hair.

"Cut that out Elsa! It's not funny!"

I shivered, waiting for the heat to return.

It never did.

"God freaking damnit..." I muttered to myself, as I struggled to rinse away the shampoo in the freezing water.

It was still freezing cold when I climbed out.

In fact, the temperature had dropped even further, further than ever before in fact.

Seriously, Elsa?

"Someone's got some serious explaining to do..." I grumbled, as I dried myself off. I threw on a fresh t-shirt and pair of underwear, before beginning to carefully wrap my hair in the towel to dry.

I noticed someone open the bathroom door in the corner of my eye, but failed to realize the implications of such an action quickly enough.

A rag was pressed over my mouth, covering the entirety of my face, and I reflexively gasped in shock, which ultimately was a bad move as it caused me to inhale whatever drug the rag was soaked in. My mind kicked into overdrive, having finally processed the fact that I was under attack.

I held my breath, seeing how this would buy me precious few minutes to escape before I lost consciousness. I kicked and struggled with all my might, but my assailant held onto my face with in an iron grip.

My efforts proved futile; I couldn't escape.

My body soon demanded air, but all that was available was more of the sickeningly sweet noxious fumes.

I couldn't help it.

Darkness overtook me.

* * *

I woke up face down on a hard surface, which I eventually was able to recognize as the bathroom floor after I sighted my dirty laundry. I could feel my hair splayed about the floor, and my arms tightly and painfully tied behind my back with something plastic, probably a zip-tie.

I had a serious headache, and the room was spinning like crazy.

It was already starting to slow down, though. Maybe I'd be able to get off soon.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead. This is no way to greet your guest of honour." Came an immediately recognizable, taunting voice from above.

Hans.

I declined to respond, trying instead to pick myself up off the floor. I was pushed back down by a foot perched on my back for my troubles.

"What's the rush?" asked Hans. "We have all the time in the world. It's not like anyone's coming home anytime soon, is it?"

Mom.

"What did you do to her?" I asked, in a low voice.

Hans merely laughed.

"Just a simple $10,000 bribe to take it easy for the night. It's funny how much stuff you can get done with a little bit of money..."

"I swear if you do anything to her..."

Hans scoffed.

"I couldn't care less about the old hag. It's you who I have issues with."

I could already imagine the sneer plastered across his face, even without looking at the douchebag.

I rolled my eyes, not that Hans could see it.

"Gee, and I haven't the faintest clue why." I spat in anger. "I didn't do shit to you."

Hans applied pressure on my back with his foot at that remark, compressing my chest cavity. I struggled to breathe.

"On the contrary..." He began. "You made me look like a gibbering fool with your 'Elsa is not real' spiel, but I know it's all a lie. I know she's real, because I heard you calling her name in the shower. You're going to make her appear, right now."

Oh for... of all the petty reasons in the world...

Wait.

Elsa.

Where is she? Is she alright?

Wait, no. She's a ghost. Of course she's fine. It's me who's in trouble.

...I suppose Elsa dropping the temperature earlier was her way of trying to warn me.

Hans gripped me by my bound wrists, and I yelped in pain as he violently pulled me to my feet and bent me over the counter.

"Call her." He growled.

I struggled to shift my view upward from the sink toward the mirror, and saw that Hans had a phone pointed at the mirror, presumably ready to capture Elsa on film should she appear. I noticed that the earrings were untouched, and where I had left them prior to my shower.

Hans shoved my face into the sink.

"Do it. Now."

Dear god. This guy's actually crazy.

But it wasn't like I had a choice in the matter, so I opened my mouth and sarcastically chanted:

"Elsa, Elsa, Elsa."

She didn't appear.

Hans huffed in frustration. "What's going on? Where is she?!" He again pressed down hard into my back, digging my stomach further into the counter top.

"She's not fucking real." I wheezed, feeling the strain on my rib cage. "You wanna let me go, before you dig your grave even further?"

Hans laughed mirthlessly.

"On the contrary, since I didn't get what I came for, we'll be doing something else instead." He leaned into my ear to whisper. "We're gonna have some fun."

His words were lost on me, and I failed to understand what he had meant until I heard the jiggling of a belt and the undoing of a zipper. I realized then, in horror, what he intended to do.

Oh god.

Oh god oh god oh god.

I struggled at my bonds with renewed vigour and desperation. I tried to shove him off, to wriggle out of his grasp, anything and everything to try to get away.

My efforts, again, proved futile.

A tear streamed down my cheek as despair ravaged my mind.

 _No..! Not like this! Someone please help!_

My vision blurred, and for an instant I blacked out.

* * *

I woke not a second later to an extreme pain in my wrists. An excruciating pain.

These zip-ties were wrecking havoc upon my wrists.

But.. wait, what?

Why?

Why would the zip-ties now suddenly be digging into my wrists, when before they'd been merely uncomfortable?

The pain went on to rise in intensity. There was no indications that it would stop, and it was all I could do to keep myself from losing my mind. Hans was momentarily forgotten, as was his intent to do terrible things to my person. My thoughts were focused solely on this awful, awful pain destroying my wrists.

 _What... is going... on..?!_

And then, after what felt like forever, the pain mercifully ended with a loud _SNAP!_

Thank god..!

I let out a sigh of relief at the same time I heard a gasp of surprise.

I saw a human shaped shadow appear and recede from underneath me, with lightning speed, from where I lay sprawled over the counter top. I suddenly then felt a sharp jab in my right fist, which was followed immediately by a pained male grunt.

Wait, a male grunt..? Was that Hans?

I cautiously rotated my head toward the door to take a peek at what was going on, just in time to see Hans reeling back in shock. His eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates, and his expression was that of pure fear. He turned and ran, frantically scrambling as fast as his feet could carry him.

My jaw plummeted to the ground in surprise when I saw someone, my presumed saviour, chase after him in pursuit...

...because that someone was...

...me?

How was that possible..?

I glanced downward and gasped at what I saw.

I could see my legs and body, but they were pale, and translucent. I whirled around, disbelieving my own eyes as I held out my arms for inspection.

Pale, and translucent.

I looked into the mirror, and what I saw all but confirmed my suspicions.

It was me.

But pale and translucent.

Just like Elsa.

* * *

 **Wee! What a fun chapter to write.**

 **I admit that, as a chemistry student, looking up the effects of chloroform (my chosen compound for anesthesia) was incredibly fascinating, in a somewhat morbid way.**

 **I hope that I didn't screw up the presentation too badly. I found it somewhat difficult to describe what was happening in the later half in the chapter, despite the scenes being quite vivid in my mind.**


	13. Chapter 13

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Thirteen

* * *

Okay... this was a lot to take in.

I rapidly blinked my eyes in an attempt to steady my nerves, though its effectiveness at doing so was somewhat muted by the fact that my eyelids were also now, y'know, translucent. My hand inadvertently phasing through my chest when I clutched at it didn't help much either, for that matter.

I gave myself a good shake to clear my mind —thankfully that still worked— because I needed to figure out what the hell was going on, and fast.

I mentally ran over the past events.

It's pretty obvious that Elsa's got something to do with my "current condition," since this isn't exactly something that I'd ever call normal, and seeing how I'm pretty sure that I'm not in control of my body anymore, I'm willing to bet that Elsa's the one who does right now.

So, if Elsa took control of my body earlier... then that awful pain I felt against my wrists had to have been from her forcibly breaking my bonds. Does that mean I still "feel" my body when Elsa's in control, even if somewhat selectively? Hmm...

Wait. If that's the case, then the sharp jab I felt on my knuckles afterwards was probably from a punch. One delivered from Elsa to Hans, presumably, and square across his stupid face I hope. It'd explain why the bastard was reeling back when I turned to look.

I feel somewhat better, having slowly worked these things out, though the big question now on my mind was: "where the heck is everyone?"

I could feel something cool, wet, and soft beneath my feet. Was that... grass? Must mean that my body, and by extension Elsa, are outside.

Well, only one way to find out. I'd better get moving... hey wait—

I cast a hopeful glance downward at my feet before taking a tentative step forward. The floor was still as rock solid as ever.

Bummer. Was hoping that I'd be able to float around like Elsa.

With a disappointed sigh, I exited the bathroom and descended the staircase leading down into the living room. Upon arrival, I immediately noticed that the front door was busted wide open, having evidently been pried open with a crowbar or something.

Jesus Christ.

I stepped out into the dark winter night, and looked around for any signs of life, finding none to speak of. I was honestly quite surprised by the clarity at which I could see in the dark, because I swear it'd normally be pitch black right about now, and that—ow!

Did I just get punched in the face or something?

The next thing I knew, I felt the distinct feeling of cloth being gripped tightly in both my hands, followed by hearing a guttural yell and a loud _WHUMP!_ ring out from behind. I shuddered as a tremor of impact rippled through my "body."

That sounded like it came from the backyard. Oh god, is Elsa okay?

I turned and ran back into my house, sprinting for the backdoor exit in my kitchen. The throbbing pains in my fists and knuckles suddenly returned as I crossed the living room lobby and I stumbled in surprise, almost falling to the ground.

I knew by now what these jabs entailed, and felt slightly reassured by them, as each jab corresponded to a blow dealt by Elsa to Hans. My feelings quickly turned to wariness though, as the small bursts of phantom pain began to increase in severity, each throb sharper than the one before.

I heard a faint cry for help in the distance, one that cut off with a gurgle at the exact moment when I felt a jab in my right fist. I began to feel a little uneasy in the stomach.

I burst out the kitchen into the backyard and turned white, even moreso than before, from what I saw.

It was me, or Elsa, rather. She had her back to me, but I could see that she had Hans pinned helplessly beneath her, and that she was relentlessly beating on his bloodied face. Over, and over, and over, and over. Each blow matched a throb in my fists, and judging by Hans' lack of reaction I could tell that he had since fallen unconscious.

I watched, horrified, as Elsa pummelled the life out of Hans. While I'll admit that I myself _had_ wanted to beat Hans into a miserable bloody pulp back when he had me at his mercy, but now that my wish was coming true before my very eyes...

My god, I have to stop this.

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"ELSA!"

Elsa turned at the sound of my voice, and I stumbled backwards in shock when I saw her eyes, my eyes technically, because they were blazing an icy cold blue, sclera and all, instead of their usual teals. I could _feel_ raw hatred and loathing emanating out from them.

The bloodlust cleared away the instant we made eye contact, though, and the literal glowing blue orbs soon softened into regular blue pupils.

"Anna..." I heard her whisper, ever so quietly. My vision blurred, and I blacked out.

I opened my eyes again to see Elsa, floating where I had stood not two seconds ago. My head screamed of a splitting ache, as did my cut up wrists. My fists were incredibly sore as well. In fact, my entire body screamed of fatigue, now that I was back within it.

I rolled myself off Hans, and tried to rise to my feet, managing instead to fall on my side when my knees gave out beneath me. My vision blurred, and I caught a glimpse of Elsa rushing toward me before I blanked out once again.

I opened eyes to find myself outside my body again, and noticed immediately that my previous pains and aches were now greatly, and mercifully, numbed—they hurt no more than they did before I had found Elsa.

I looked around and found her, again in my body, carrying a limp Hans back into the house. I still felt completely spent, and could hardly now muster the strength to follow along even in this "ghostly" form.

"Elsa?" I muttered, like an exhausted little kid. "I'm really tired..."

She glanced back at me, an indescribable look of... guilt? on her face.

"You must rest, Anna." Elsa began, somewhat somberly, before continuing toward the house. "My actions have taken a considerable toll upon your body. Close your eyes and sleep, and allow me to deal with the consequences. We will talk when you next wake."

I did as was asked, and soon felt myself... dissipating. It wasn't long before I mercifully fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

I found myself in my bedroom when I next opened my eyes. My head still hurt like crazy, and my body ached all over. My wrists in particular stung the most, but I noticed that they had been expertly bandaged up.

Sunlight filtered through the cracks of my blinds, illuminating my room. I groaned as a stray beam of light connected with my eyes, and I rolled over in bed to check the time.

8:00AM. Gosh, I've been out for over half a day or something.

My bleary eyes began to focus, and I took stock of the other items placed upon my bedside drawer. There was a tall glass of water, which I thirstily gulped down, and a pair of aspirin tablets alongside the blue sapphire earrings. No doubt that these were courtesy of Elsa. Mom wouldn't understand the importance of the earrings, or know that I'd have a headache.

I took the pills, washing them down with the rest of the water, and wiped my mouth on my sleeve before carefully inserting the earrings into my lobes. I shuddered as a wave of cold washed over my body.

Elsa slowly began to materialize before me once the second earring was in place.

"Hey." I groggily greeted.

An extended pause followed, and it seemed like forever before Elsa finally replied with a sullen. "Greetings."

'So..." I began, sitting up in bed. "Let's talk about last night. What the heck happened?"

Elsa sighed.

"Where do you wish to begin?"

I thought about that for a moment, before replying. "First, fill me in on what I missed out."

"Very well." Elsa turned away, folding her arms behind her back. "We begin at the point after you... intervened. I called the constable, who swiftly arrived alongside these strange doctors. Hans was taken into custody, and I was questioned as to what happened."

"What did you tell them?" I asked, curiously.

"The truth, for as far as applicable. I told them about the unlawful entry, and the events that occurred thereafter, with some fabrications."

"Fabrications?" I repeated. "You mean you lied to the police? Why?"

Elsa stared me in the eye and deadpanned. "I cannot simply inform the police that you were possessed, Anna."

Oh, duh. "Was there anything else?" I asked.

Elsa turned away. "There were some... other changes in my retelling. Significant alterations were made to save you from a charge of excessive force, for one."

...Right. Because beating something to the point of unconsciousness may not count as reasonable self-defense. "Did my mom get home? What'd she say?"

"She reacted much as one would expect from a mother. She was very upset upon learning that she was effectively bribed, but she otherwise I believe she handled it reasonably well. Expect to be placed on a short leash for some time from here on out, though."

I groaned. Mom can be incredibly controlling when she wants.

"Okay." I began. "Now about the other elephant in the room... What in the holy hell happened to me after you took over?"

Elsa turned back around.

"Your guess is effectively as good as mine, Anna." She answered, bluntly. "As I said before, you are quite an anomaly."

"Seriously?" I groaned, as I laid myself back down onto my mattress. "I would've thought that you'd know at least _something_ about literal out-of-body experiences..."

Elsa shrugged. "My best theory at the moment is simply that that was the physical manifestation of your mind, as you were still of relatively good mental health despite the circumstances."

I blinked a bit, taking this all in. "So... you're saying that was my _brain_ walking around back then? How does that work? Or make even make sense?"

Again, Elsa shrugged. "I know not. Perhaps that was instead your soul? Believe what you will, if it helps you understand."

I clutched at my head, contemplating. "O-okay... but how did that even happen?"

"I suspect that your strange anomaly factor played a role. Do you remember what I had told you previously? Unlike other people, whom I must overpower and suppress in order to seize control, your mind simply... willingly steps aside."

I thought for a moment. "So, basically, it's like me letting you borrow my car, instead of you just knocking me out and stealing it."

Elsa nodded. "A crude analogy, but it encapsulates the general idea."

"Hey wait. Why didn't that happen when you first borrowed my body, back before we met? Why didn't my quote-on-quote 'brain,' manifest then?"

"Likely because you were asleep, Anna."

"...Okay, I guess that makes sense."

I glanced over at my bedside alarm clock for the time, and groaned at the prospect of getting ready for class.

"Hey Elsa?"

"Yes?"

"Can you take over again? I don't want to get out of bed."

"Really, Anna?"

* * *

 **Finals coming in a week and the fact that this is the point where I really need to plan out what I want to do with this story are gonna both slow me down from here on out. Hope the chapter wasn't too confusing. I must've rewrote this thing 3 times over.**


	14. Chapter 14

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Fourteen

 _I glanced over at my bedside alarm clock for the time, and groaned at the prospect of getting ready for class._

" _Hey Elsa?"_

" _Yes?"_

" _Can you take over again? I don't want to get out of bed."_

" _Really, Anna?"_

* * *

"So... is that a yes?" I asked, hopefully.

Elsa let out an exasperated sigh. "Anna, would it really be wise for me to 'take over' for such a trivial reason? Does it not cause you discomfort?"

I shrugged. "Eh, it's not that bad to be honest."

Elsa gave me a look of disbelief, before refusing. "You require rest, not further trauma."

"No, seriously—" I began to protest, before being cut off by my bedroom door suddenly opening. Mom's head made an appearance in the doorway crack.

"Anna, sweetie? Are you awake?" She cautiously made her way into my room upon confirming that I was.

"Hey Mom." I greeted, sitting up in bed as she approached. "What's up?"

Mom shook her head with a rueful smile at those words. "I think I should be the one asking that. How're you feeling right now?"

"Kinda crappy to be honest, but a lot better than before." I wrung my still somewhat sore wrists.

"Do you feel like talking about what happened yesterday?" Mom asked, gently.

"I..." I shuddered as for an instant I relived the terrors of Hans' assault on my person. "Not yet. Maybe later?"

"Of course, whenever you're ready." Mom put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Take today off, if you want. You deserve a long weekend after what happened. Is there anything I can do for you right now though?"

I was about to shake my head no when my stomach suddenly growled. I smiled sheepishly.

"Well, uh. Sounds like some breakfast would be nice."

"Gotcha." Mom laughed. "Chocolate pancakes'll be waiting for you downstairs. Your favourite."

Mom got up and made for the door, turning at the last second to add. "Oh, and Anna? I noticed you wandering around this morning before the sun was even up. I'm sure you've got your reasons and all, but just know that I'll be here if there's anything you want to get off your chest, okay?"

...? Wait, what? Before the sun was even up? What's she talking about?

The door quietly clicked shut before I could question Mom further, signalling her departure. I turned toward Elsa, who'd been quietly milling about the foot of my bed this entire time.

"Wandering around...?" I asked inquisitively.

"What of it?" she replied.

"That was you, wasn't it?"

"You would be correct."

"What in the world would you be doing with my body that early?"

The ghost quietly shut her eyes, sighing deeply before answering. "I was... reminiscing. Of what it is like to have the world respond to your touch. Incorporeality becomes incredibly tiresome over the decades."

"Oh." I can see how not being able to touch anything would suck a whole lot. "Do you want to swap places, then?"

The ghost opened her mouth to argue, but I cut her off.

"No, seriously Elsa. The headpains really aren't that bad. Not as much as before, at least. Besides, I need some kind of distraction to get Hans off my mind."

Elsa sighed. "Very well then, if you so insist."

My vision blurred, and I found myself standing by the foot of my bed when I next opened my eyes. A quick glance downwards revealed myself to have returned to my pale and translucent form, as to be expected after a "swap."

I watched as my physical body climbed out of bed of its own free will, and then as it turned to face my direction. I shook my head when I made eye contact with my physical form.

"Man, I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing myself from the outside. Especially with blue eyes." I laughed. "Thanks, though. It'd probably take me, like what, another hour or two before I'd be able to get out of bed on my own?"

Elsa, in my body, chuckled quietly before replying. "Would you like for me to go through the rest of your morning routine as well, your highness?"

I perked up at that.

"Could you? I'm really not looking forward to combing my hair."

* * *

I winced as Elsa violently tore through a knot in my hair. She glanced over to where I stood by the bathroom door.

"My apologies."

I instinctively went to rub my head, remembering too late that my hand would phase straight through.

"You felt that too?" I asked in surprise.

"Very slightly." Elsa replied, before returning the hairbrush to its place on the bathroom countertop. "I temporarily regain my lost senses of taste, touch, and smell whenever I inhabit a body, though any incoming stimuli is... muted, as though I perpetually am wearing gloves."

"Really? Same here, kind of. As in my senses feel dulled when I'm like... this." Here I gestured at my ghostly self. "Basically I can still feel things when you're in my body, just not as well as before."

Elsa rubbed her chin. "Perhaps the dynamic works as though we literally share this body, then? It seems as though that what one person would normally experience all for themselves, is now shared between two different entities."

I shrugged. Hell if I understood how this stuff worked.

"I'm just saying that it's really freaking weird. Like, we're taking about sharing my body here."

"Well, it seems to be the case. for as far as I can tell." Elsa turned back to the sink. "Will you allow me to brush your teeth as well? I admit that the prospect of caring after oneself excites me, as I haven't the opportunity to perform such tasks in decades."

I cocked my head at such an absurd request, only to receive a pleading stare in response.

"Well, fine. Since you put it that way." I acquiesced, before crossing my arms. "Be gentle, okay? I don't want my gums to be bleeding at the end of this."

Elsa clasped her hands together in joy, before moving to squeeze some paste onto my toothbrush.

This is an incredibly strange situation I've gotten myself into.

* * *

I let Elsa run around in my body for little while longer after she finished washing up, which seemed to make her really happy. She practically skipped down the stairs when we left for the kitchen.

Mom was standing by the stove when we arrived, frying something kind of meat in a skillet. It smelled like... bacon? Or maybe it was ham? Hard to tell, considering all this body sharing business.

Mom spoke up as Elsa leapt off the staircase in lieu of taking the final 3 steps, though she didn't turn away from the stove. "Took you long enough, honey. Your pancakes are getting cold."

She pointed behind herself in the general direction of the kitchen countertop, where a plate of chocolate sauce drizzled pancakes indeed lay waiting.

I couldn't see Elsa's face from where I stood on the staircase, but I sure as hell didn't need to to know what she must've been thinking by the way she gingerly approached the stack of flapjacks.

"Go ahead." I said simply.

Elsa grabbed the plate and eagerly ran back up the stairs to my room, before proceeding to devour its contents. I watched as she licked the plate clean of its chocolate sauce, savouring every last drop.

...Y'know, all I've ever seen of Elsa up until this point was that of a formal and articulate, if a little world weary, adult, but just this morning alone has allowed me a rare glimpse of the inner playful child side to her, if the look of pure unadulterated happiness on her face meant anything.

Well, technically it's my face, since she's in my body. Semantics.

* * *

 **Hope it's not too hard to follow along, and that I'm not contradicting things I've established in previous chapters.**

 **I've spent most of the winter break contemplating where I'm going to go with the story. I think I've gotten the major events that I want to see happen now, although I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to connect them together. I'll figure that out later.**

 **A consequence of the above, though, is that I've ended up scrapping several ideas I've had at story creation. For example, I don't think I'll be able to deliver on that "Anna risks her life to help Elsa" thing in the summary, since that's one of the many ideas that ended up being scrapped. So, sorry about that guys, but I'm probably gonna have to edit the summary. Hope that doesn't upset anyone.**

 **(That particular plot thread was made impossible since the beginning of Chapter 12. I might talk about the scrapped ideas later if people are curious).**

 **Happy New Years.**


	15. Chapter 15

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Fifteen

* * *

I watched, amused, as Elsa set down the plate atop my bedside drawer, having licked it squeaky clean of chocolate sauce and pancake batter. She looked over at me and coughed sheepishly.

"Apologies for my lapse in self control. Chocolate's always been a favourite of mine, and it's been several decades since I've last had some. I admit that I've almost forgotten its flavour."

I laughed. "Don't worry it's fine. I think it's funny, if anything."

Elsa let loose a soft sigh. "I am glad that you do not think lesser of me for this outburst. I'll see to it that it does not happen again."

I waved her off.

"Actually, I'm kind of glad that you did... what you did, because Mom probably would've sent me to a psychiatrist in a heartbeat if she saw me act all 'calm' and 'poised' around chocolate pancakes. I usually go nutballs crazy at the sight of 'em."

"I see." Elsa raised an eyebrow. "My father, he had a different mindset pertaining to conduct. He believed firmly in ladylike grace, and would never have condoned such behaviour."

"Ladylike grace?" I repeated. "Is he the reason why you talk the way you do?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Elsa asked.

"Like, you never seem to trip over your words, and your vocabulary is so... fancy. Conduct? Condoned? You sound like an aristocrat. With the tea cup and the pinkie and the everything."

"Ah. You would be correct, then, in that he indeed is the cause for such speech patterns. It was yet another aspect he believed his 'perfect daughter' should embody."

I crossed my arms, or well, tried to at least. "He sounds like a jerk."

Elsa sat herself onto the bed, inspecting my nails and grimacing at the sight of them. "Perhaps, but he always set himself as an example to be followed, and never once held me to a standard he himself did not follow. His speech patterns were much the same as mine."

"Oh." I dropped myself onto the floor, wondering slightly why it would be solid to my quote on quote "ghostly" body. "Did you like him, then?"

Elsa looked away.

"I respected him."

A pregnant pause ensued.

"Err... okay." I stammered, searching for a way to change the subject. "So! Ladylike grace you said? Was dancing part of that as well?"

Elsa turned back towards me, smiling whimsically.

"Correct. I learned many different types of so-called 'elegant ballroom dances,' at his behest."

"Like that Lindy Hop thing you mentioned earlier?" I asked.

...Probably not, judging by that look of shock of Elsa's face. Did I say something wrong?

"No." She replied, after quickly recomposing herself. "My father did not approve of those particular dances in general. Deemed them too 'unsightly.' I learnt those dances without his approval or knowledge."

I moved to clasp my hands together, flailing slightly when my hands phased through each other. "Ooh! So you _do_ have a rebellious side!" I squeed.

Elsa shook her head. "It is only natural to seek enjoyment during one's life, is it not?"

I shrugged, calming down. "Mm. Guess you're right. Your dad does sound like a really controlling guy, after all."

Just then, something suddenly occurred to me about the circumstances behind our current talk.

"Hey, wait a minute!" I blurted out. "You're in my body!"

"That is correct." Elsa snarkily noted, slightly taken aback by my outburst.

"Doesn't that mean you can dance again?" I asked.

I could practically see the lightbulb flicker on inside Elsa's mind as well.

"...It does indeed." She replied, sucking in a deep breath. "May I?"

"Of course!"

I was eager to see Elsa in action again, especially considering her superb performance back on the dance floor during the party.

"Excellent." Elsa rubbed her hands in anticipation, before coughing into a fist. "I mean not to offend, but please allow me an extended period of time to warm up and prepare. Your body for instance is incredibly stiff, and requires much exercise for it to be considered fit."

"Hey!" I shouted, indignantly. "I'll have you know that I used to be in great shape! I could've climbed a freaking mountain if I wanted to."

Elsa laughed, not unkindly, before beginning a set of stretches.

* * *

It seemed like almost an eternity later by the time Elsa finally finished up. For me, most of that time was spent lying down on the floor, wondering again why the floors and walls were solid to my ghostly form whereas my body parts would just phase through each other.

"Very well." Elsa began, having finally finished. "Let us see how much I can recall."

I gingerly sat up from my position on the floor and watched as Elsa sauntered over to my bed, which was pushed off to the side to make space, where my laptop lay in order to turn on some music. I listened as the sounds of various instruments filled the air, in a tune reminiscent of a classical waltz.

Elsa frowned.

"The sound quality pales in comparison to that of a live performance, but it will have to do."

She took position in the middle of the room, and held up her hands in front of her as if she had an imaginary partner with which to practice before taking a step back in tune with the music.

Now, I don't really know much about dancing so there probably was a lot of stuff about Elsa's dance that whizzed right over my head, but I can say for sure that her performance was absolutely breathtaking. Although she was barefoot, Elsa practically glid across the room as if she were wearing ice skates, twirling and dipping and spinning at will. She would, at times, suddenly stop herself in gravity-defying and/or uncomfortable looking positions, and demonstrate a remarkable amount of self-control and balance as she held said positions for extended periods of time before continuing the dance as if nothing had happened.

I managed to catch a glimpse of her face between twirls, and her facial expression was that of pure serenity, if anything. I could easily tell that was Elsa enjoying this just as much as her breakfast, if not more so, and if I could've I would definitely have applauded when the song and dance finally ended.

Which is why I was very surprised when someone did, all of a sudden.

"Bravo!" Exclaimed Mom, clapping from where she stood in the doorway.

Elsa turned around in confusion, before stumbling back in shock upon seeing Mom staring back at her.

"O-oh. Hello... ah, mother..." She gasped in surprise, as did Mom when they made eye contact. I saw Mom give herself a small shake before her eyes began to narrow in suspicion for some reason.

I glanced over at Elsa-in-my-body and saw the likely cause as to why—my physical body's eyes were currently a shiny ice blue due to Elsa's presence, instead of my normal teals. Mom might be about to get on my ass for "supposedly" purchasing some eye colour changing contacts.

I hadn't the time to think any further though as the next thing I knew my vision all of a sudden began to blur again, catching me by surprise. I was taken slightly off guard when I next opened my eyes to find myself back within my physical body, and ended up dropping to a knee as I felt the familiar throbbing of a minor headache pulse through my skull.

I listened to the sounds of Mom's footsteps as she rushed to my side.

"Anna, are you okay?" She asked as she knelt down beside me to glance upward at my face, her facial expression having transitioned from suspicion into worry.

"Yeah, Fine. Just caught by surprise." I said, quite truthfully, as I rose to my feet. "What brings you up here?"

The worried look upon Mom's face dissipated upon confirming that I was okay and she followed suit, standing as well.

"I just came to get your plate." She said simply, nodding toward the plate in question that sat on my bedside drawer. "But I certainly didn't expect to see such masterful dancing, Anna. When did you learn?"

"Uh..." I trailed off, scratching the back of my head before once again blurting out the first story that came to mind. "I took a dance class as one of my electives back in high school, and I'm touching up on my skills now because Arendelle University's got a pretty cool dance club that I'm thinking about joining."

Mom smiled softly, as though seemingly accepting the story. "I see, then I won't keep you any longer. Sorry for about the interruption."

She picked up the plate and made for the door, shaking her head slightly to herself as it closed behind her.

"So..." I began, once Mom was out of earshot. "What the hell was that all about?"

Elsa materialized a few metres in front of me, a single lock of her otherwise flawless hair slightly disheveled. "Apologies. I did not know of your mother's intentions as she approached, and believed it to be unwise for me to attempt further conversation with her, hence the abrupt return of control."

I crossed my arms, this time for real since I was back in my body. "Well, okay I get that. But I would've liked a warning of some sort at least."

"I understand. But I knew not a way to send you one without alerting your mother. I hope you're not too upset?"

I climbed back into bed, not bothering to move it back to its original position in my room as my body felt really freaking sore after the intense workout Elsa gave it.

"I'm not." I said simply, as I snuggled under the covers.

"Perhaps it would be best if we lay low until your mother deems you better?" Elsa suggested. "I would prefer not to worry her any further."

I shrugged. "Sure I guess? I think that's kind of excessive honestly, but if you think it's for the best then okay."

"Very well then, Anna. See you soon." She flashed me a wide smile, before slowly beginning to fade from view. I turned to bury my face into the pillow, and as I did I heard her wispy voice emanate out from the corners of the room.

"As the people of this generation say however... totally worth it."

* * *

 **I drew a bit of inspiration for Anna's spirit-like form from the protagonist of Gunnerkrigg Court's protagonist, Annie. I don't quite understand how Annie's powers work myself, but it seems as though she can project herself into another dimension of sorts (it isn't really like that, but it's how I would describe it) where the laws of physics and such don't necessarily apply. Normal laypeople cannot see or interact with Annie when she goes into the other dimension to mess around, though other people who share the ability can.**

 **The parallel to Anna here is that, at Elsa's behest, Anna can also be projected out into a spirit-like form/another dimension, wherein she too can mess around without being constraint to the laws of the universe.**

 **On another note. Slooowly piecing the parts together.**


	16. Chapter 16

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Sixteen

* * *

We spent the rest of the morning —and most of the weekend as it turned out— in silence.

I hadn't really paid much attention to Elsa when she had earlier suggested that we "lay low" following the incident where Mom had caught her mid-dance whilst in my body, but I very quickly realized just how far Elsa was willing to take that statement when I casually called out her name in boredom later that afternoon and received dead silence for a reply.

I'd soon discover that her idea of "laying low" apparently entailed cutting off all contact. As in, literally none whatsoever. For all I know she disappeared off the face of the earth.

I shrugged it off, thinking that it was okay since, truth be told, I had a metric ton of very much needed catching up to do in the classes I was slacking off on. Like Calculus, because what the heck's a limit to infinity?

That kept me occupied for a few hours, but I very quickly got tired of being productive, and was soon almost beside myself with boredom.

I tried calling out to her again when Saturday came by, as by then I'd managed to convince Mom that yes, I'm fine, that yes, I'll stay home and lock the doors, that no, I won't be attacked again while she was off at work, that —Jesus Christ Mom the hospital and its patients need you much more than I do so get your ass to work—

...but if Elsa heard me then she certainly didn't show it, and seeing how Elsa didn't strike me as the kind of person who'd willingly ignore people calling out to them I figured that the ghost really must be MIA for the time being.

It didn't change the fact that I had yet another day to waste away on my own though. I tried texting Rapunzel to see if she'd be up for anything, but it turned out that she worked all-day shifts on the weekends.

Sigh.

I'd done enough mindless surfing on reddit and YouTube to last three lifetimes by the time Sunday finally rolled around, and god I've never been this bored before in my life. All my old favourite pastimes seem so... shallow in comparison after having met Elsa, and I can only wonder how I survived up until now.

...Hey, come to think of it, how did _Elsa_ survive up until now anyway? Don't ghosts typically need some sort of reason in order to stick around after death..? Why is she... here?

And then, having successfully piqued my own curiosity, I rolled out of my depressing little blanket burrito and propped myself up on an elbow to grab my laptop from where it lay on the bedside drawer. Tapping away at the keys, I pulled up a quick Google search about ghosts in general, confirming that most generally have a reason for persisting after death, before navigating to random assorted news websites in an attempt to shed some light on my mysterious friend's passing.

As I went to search up Elsa herself however, I embarrassingly realized that I... didn't actually know her last name.

Oh boy.

That little omission made filtering my Elsa out of the gazillion others all but impossible, and I ended up learning jack diddly squat about her as a result. I set the laptop aside with a sigh, my curiosity left unsated.

"What now?" I wondered aloud to myself as I fingered the sapphires that hung from my lobes, the answer to my own question slowly creeping into mind as I did.

I climbed out of bed and tottered over to the wardrobe, swinging its doors aside and retrieving the wooden toy chest that lay within, the one that originally housed these sapphire earrings. Forgetting entirely about the potential ramifications of snooping into someone's personal possessions, I cracked the lid open and dug in.

The chest's contents were still compartmentalized in their own smaller brown boxes, the way I had left them from my last visit a few days ago when I came for the earrings. I sifted through the boxes, looking for anything of interest and finding little to speak of until...

"Aha!" I exclaimed to myself, as I fished out a small book with the words 'Property of Elsa Winters' written atop in perfect cursive. I cracked the book open and smiled at what I saw, because of course Elsa of all people would be one to meticulously keep a journal.

With the figurative jackpot in hand, I returned the wooden chest to its place in the wardrobe before retiring to bed to read. With my back pressed against the wall, and a pillow serving as a cushion, I turned to the first page.

* * *

 _March 6th, Year of 1928_

 _This logbook and all entries henceforth begin life primarily as a tool for self-reflection and improvement, at my own behest._

 _I open with a reminder that I must improve my upper body control, as I stumbled today during drills. Such an error would be disastrous were it to be repeated during a recital._

 _Additionally, I must review the constellations that will be present during this lunar month. My astronomy tutor will undoubtedly quiz me on such matters when we meet in the near future, and it would be best to be prepared._

 _End entry one._

...Interesting. I flipped to the next page.

 _March 7th, Year of 1928_

 _Today I resolve to not be so easily distracted by matters that are inherently trivial._

 _I cannot believe I lost this week's chess game against Father because I allowed him to get away with his brazen attempt to fork my pieces by diverting my attention toward his balding head._

 _Perhaps I should consider less orthodox approaches as well? I do believe that we have a spare bag of flour lying somewhere in the pantry, and that Father's suit could use a good... dusting._

 _:)_

 _End entry two._

I giggled a bit.

 _March 8th, Year of 1928_

 _Father... truly is an astounding man._

 _He invited me to attend one of his business meetings today, one involving the head of some major corporation in a town whose name escapes me. I vaguely remember it beginning with the letter... W?_

 _No matter, they ultimately are unimportant._

 _I do recall however that the head was far too arrogant for his own good, and that Father had put him soundly in his place by exposing several key flaws riddling their proposed business plan for the city of Arendelle._ _The look upon the head's son's, who also came along, was like that of an enraged weasel. It was difficult to suppress my laughter._

 _Father got the contract in the end, of course._ _I aim to prove myself a worthy successor._

 _End entry three._

Hmm.

It's obvious that Elsa used to like her dad, look up to him even... but, when I asked Elsa a few days ago if she liked her dad, she looked away and only said "I respected him." What could have happened to make her not like him anymore..?

I flipped through the next few pages to try and find out, skimming as I went.

* * *

 _...prepare for the upcoming musical recital..._

 _...finally defeated Father in chess!..._

 _...should submit my painting for review..._

 _...got to review my Latin syntax..._

Holy crap, how many skills and talents does Elsa possess!?

 _...still need to wash the flour out of Father's suit..._

 _...must maintain control of my emotions during dance, even as the sleazeball partner continues to overstep his boundaries..._

 _...may have made my very first friend today..._

 _...cannot continue falling behind in my studies..._

Wait wait, hold on what? I flipped back a few pages to reread in greater detail.

* * *

 _July 24th, Year of 1928_

 _I... I believe that I may have made my very first friend today._

 _End entry one hundred forty._

First friend? What?

...Oh, poor Elsa...

I flipped to the next page, and was surprised to see it dated one week after the previous, as Elsa had otherwise managed a journal entry each and every day flawlessly for several months.

 _July 31st, Year of 1928_

 _I snuck out again, and she actually was waiting for me—like she said she would._

 _I've never enjoyed dancing this much before in my life._

 _End entry one hundred forty one._

...God, how cryptic can you get? I noticed that this page and those that followed were written in sloppier block letters, rather than the carefully crafted perfect cursive like their preceding entries.

Interesting. I pressed further, wanting to know more.

 _August 7th, Year of 1928_

 _Dad has no doubt noticed my recent absentmindedness. I shouldn't let him get too suspicious, but I can't stop thinking about her._

 _But I cannot continue falling behind in my studies..._

 _But I don't want to lose her..._

 _...End entry one hundred forty two._

And written on the page behind it...

 _August 14th, Year of 1928_

 _Dad knew about Belle. He knew from the beginning._

 _Of course he did._

 _He seems to be taking it well though. Happy about it even. Happy that I'm happy._

 _This... this is great._

 _End entry one hundred forty three._

...I'm confused. I'm not seeing any reason for Elsa to... not-like her dad, unless I had misinterpreted her earlier? I turned the page yet again, noting that the gap this time between entries was a month long, and those thereafter were dated sporadically.

 _September 14th, Year of 1928_

 _I love spending time with Belle; She makes me feel so happy._

 _I love how she didn't think of me as "his daughter," but rather as "Elsa."_

 _...These feelings I feel for her, are they normal?_

 _I wonder if she feels the same?_

 _...End entry one hundred forty four._

I raised my eyebrow, my suspicions as to why Elsa might be who she is today growing.

I again started skimming through the next few pages. The pages themselves physically said little, but that fact actually spoke a lot about how Elsa had changed after meeting this "Belle" person. The pages were no longer written in painstakingly perfect cursive, but rather in more relaxed block letters. She had begun referring to her dad as "Dad," rather than the overly formal "Father," and this is just a guess but the only way I can imagine Elsa having the time to visit Belle more often would be if she ditched some of her other hobbies.

I noticed that she expressed happiness in a later entry at never again having to deal with this snooty redhead who assumed too much of her during their arranged partnered dances, so I think Elsa ditching some of her less liked hobbies might very well have happened.

Out of curiosity, I flipped to the last page of the book that contained text, my eyes widening as I read it.

* * *

 _February 14th, Year of 1929_

 _I'm so stupid._

 _Of course she didn't..._

 _...It hurts._

 _:(_

I took one look at the journal entry's date and jumped to the logical conclusion, the sudden whiplash being very real as my suspicions were confirmed.

Oh, Elsa...

I heard a wispy voice, _her_ voice, just as my heart began to break from what this final post implied.

"Hello, Anna. Is the coast clear?"

* * *

 **Three of my favourite games all had extra content added to them recently (Afterbirth+, AMPLIFIED, and Long War 2 are the DLC names if you're curious), and I've been on a game binge lately. Sorry.**

 **I hope FFNet doesn't spam notifications when you update the chapter itself. I don't actually know if the line breaks look good at all and so I might be fiddling around a bit with them.**


	17. Chapter 17

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Seventeen

" _Is the coast clear?"_

* * *

I gave a start, surprised by Elsa's sudden reappearance.

"A rhetorical question, of course." She began, as she spontaneously materialized into view in front of me. "I hadn't felt your mother's presence for an extended period of time, hence why I returned."

I could only stare dumbfounded up at her from my position on the bed, her journal sitting right on my lap in plain sight.

"I had been thinking about you, Anna." Elsa continued. "About your strange... 'receptiveness' to my abilities in particular. My working theory at the moment is that—"

Elsa paused, seemingly noticing for the first time the book that I held in my hands. I could only stare back in stunned silence as she scrutinized my facial expression, her own morphing into that of suspicion.

"Your face speaks volumes, Anna. Is there something you wish to tell me?"

You know that feeling of dread you get when you've been caught red handed? That awful and terrible feeling when the guilty blood rushes to your cheeks because you've done goofed and you know it? Yeah, I had that feeling.

I gulped, figuring that honesty would be the best policy here.

"I... I was reading your journal." I stammered, before subsequently exploding into a rapid fire string of words. "It's-just-that-I-got-bored-because-I-had-nothing-to-do-and-then-I-got-curious-about-you-because-well-you-know- _ghost_ -but-I-couldn't-find-out-anything-about-you-online-so-I-figured-maybe-your-chest-here-would-help-so-I-went-to-take-a-look-and-I-found-this-and..."

I trailed off when Elsa shook her head in blatant disappointment and turned away quietly.

I felt incredibly awful.

"You read it in its entirety, did you not?" She asked, in a low voice, her previously cheerful mood having turned somber.

I nodded to Elsa's back, and then caught myself and gurgled out a weak. "Yeah."

"Then you know what happened." She said simply.

"Kinda? I think I got the gist of what happened." I squeaked. "Though your journal ends after Valentines Day, so I don't know anything about what happened next..."

"And you wish to know?" She asked. "Why?"

"I-I just wanted to... to see if I could, like, help or anything—"

"—Is this why you befriended me in the first place? Because you _pitied me?_ " Elsa interrupted, whirling back around to face me in an instant. Her eyes now glowed an angry crimson red, in the same fashion as they once did when we first met in the bathroom. "If so, then consider our friendship _over._ I do not need your pity."

I could again only stare back in stunned silence, my jaw hanging wide agape, as I processed the accusation thrown at me all of a sudden. I felt tears prickle the corner of my eyes and vainly tried to keep them from spilling.

"As I thought." Elsa intoned, her expression hardening. "I will admit that our time together was most enjoyable Anna, and for that I thank you." She turned away again. "However, in light of these recent events I hereby give you and your mother three days notice to vacate the premises before—"

"—Look, Elsa." I interrupted angrily, haphazardly throwing the journal across the room without a care for where it landed. "I _know_ it was wrong of me to intrude on your private life. I get it, and I feel really bad for having done it. Oh wait, _no I don't_ , because it's already helped me understand why you've suddenly become such a colossal _douchebag_ right now."

Elsa whirled back around to face me once again, and I could literally see the temper flare in her eyes like never before. I'd likely be afraid for my life had I been more clear headed, but right now I was far too upset to care so I pressed the offensive before she could get in another word.

"You know what else your journal taught me? That you didn't have many friends growing up, so let me learn _you_ something for once. Do you know how much it hurts when a friend misinterprets something you said and is immediately willing to oh-so-casually toss aside your friendship because of it?! I had only wanted to help! Helping each other is what friends _do!_ And don't give me any of that crap about not needing any help or something stupid like that because _your mere existence_ proves otherwise! So get off your high horse, and accept the fact that _I care about you_."

My vocal strength had by now worn itself out, as did my sudden surge of anger. I fell back onto my bed, suddenly feeling very, very tired.

"I never had any pity for you though, Elsa..." I whispered, my voice hoarse from shouting. "...only respect."

Elsa may have said something in response afterwards, may even have come up with a solid rebuttal, but if so I'll never know because I closed my eyes right then and there and drifted off to a very welcome sleep. Looking back however... I realize that I was by far the biggest douchebag back there.

* * *

I woke later to the sight of Elsa floating above my bed, waiting patiently. Her demeanor was noticeably calmer than before, though she had an unreadable look written upon her face.

"Oof. What time is it?" I groggily muttered, as I rose to a sitting position.

"It at the moment is still Sunday." Elsa replied evenly. "7:21PM to be precise, if your clock is to be believed. You have slept for approximately two hours."

"Oh." I said simply, staring somewhat awkwardly back up at Elsa. "So... about—"

"—Your mother had called earlier while you were asleep to inform you of the fact that she will be working a late shift today at the local hospital, and said to not wait up for her and fix yourself something to eat in the meantime." Elsa stated. "I have taken the liberty to prepare you a supper of sorts. It is waiting for you downstairs."

"Oh." I said again. Can't complain about free food, and I was feeling kinda hungry to be honest.

"I guess that means you were running around again in my body or something while I was out?"

"That would be correct."

"And since you've made me something to eat, does that mean you won't be kicking us out or something anytime soon?"

Elsa smiled ruefully. "Applaudable inductive reasoning Anna, in which you again would be correct. I, however, feel as though an apology is in order, as I allowed my emotions get the better of me. I have said things that I otherwise would not in the heat of the moment, and for that I ask for forgiveness. I understand now that your intentions were noble, even if however I maintain that your methods are at best questionable."

"It's okay. I forgive you." I smiled back at her. "And while I don't regret a single word I said back there I do legitimately feel bad for snooping. Can you forgive me as well?"

"Consider it done." Elsa laughed. "Now why don't you go have your supper, before it becomes unpalatable?"

I got out of bed and made to do as was asked, Elsa following suit behind me. I arrived in the kitchen to find a plate sitting atop the kitchen counter finely adorned with four expertly made open-faced sandwiches. Each slice of bread was decorated with various sliced meats and spreads, and I could already feel myself salivating in hungry anticipation. I eagerly grabbed the plate and immediately headed off to the kitchen table to chow down.

Elsa went to "take a seat," at the opposite end, watching with a smile as I devoured her creations.

"Are they any good?" She asked. "It goes without saying that my cookery skills may have degraded over the years, and that my own taste buds are woefully inadequate for the job of tasting my handiwork."

It honestly was really good, each individual slice practically a work of art. Hell, Rapunzel, herself a deli worker, could definitely learn a thing or two here. I told this all to Elsa through a mouthful of food, and smiled as Elsa's face lit up in joy before she then proceeded to sternly lecture me on proper table etiquette.

I sighed in contented happiness as I finished up the last bite, slouching in my chair.

"Those were great."

Elsa chuckled. "They really must have been, considering how noisy you were whilst consuming them. If anything it is a miracle that the neighbours have not yet arrived to complain."

I laughed, throwing up my hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I get vocal when I eat things I like."

"That much is for certain."

I chuckled a bit myself, before getting up to wash the crumbs off my empty plate. As I was midway between the kitchen and the dining room however...

"Anna?" Elsa asked, somewhat apprehensively. "Do you truly wish to know happened afterwards? I am willing to divulge, if you are wiling to listen..."

* * *

 **I think I know what I'll be writing about for the next few chapters.**

 **Now the big question I'm asking myself is: how in the world am I going to end this story?**


	18. Chapter 18

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Eighteen

* * *

I froze midstep in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room, before turning my head to glance back at Elsa.

"Uh..." I began, scratching the back of my head with my free hand. "Are you sure? It's kinda early to be telling me your life story, considering how we've only known each other for like a week."

Elsa stared back at me confusedly.

"You displayed three hours ago a clear disregard for my personal privacy. What holds you back now?"

"Well, it's because, like..." I floundered for a bit, searching for the right words. "I did something that was bad to you, so shouldn't you be upset at me? I don't understand why you're basically rewarding me for what I've done."

Elsa merely shrugged.

"Perhaps, but truth be told it makes no difference to me. I was always taught to turn the other cheek and not allow grudges to cloud my judgment, as pettiness is not conducive to a flourishing business."

"So you're letting me off the hook, just like that?" I asked, incredulously.

"Yes." Elsa replied simply. "Unless you would prefer otherwise."

"...Well, okay then." I shrugged. "If you put it that way then I'll definitely take you up on your offer."

"Very well then, I will be waiting for you in the bedroom." And with that Elsa ascended straight up into the ceiling, leaving me alone in the kitchen. I hurried to rinse the breadcrumbs off my plate and raced up the stairs after her.

* * *

Elsa instructed me to lie down on my bed while she hovered above me, psychiatrist style, once I got up to my bedroom.

"What is this, a bedtime story or something?" I snarked, as I laid myself down onto the sheets. Elsa chuckled in response.

"No Anna, but close. A bedtime movie would perhaps be more accurate."

"Movie?" I echoed. "What do you mean?"

"Back when those silly boys visited my bathroom every other night for their 'Bloody Elsa' myth, one of my favourite tricks to play involved induced auditory and visual hallucinations, of my choosing." She explained.

"Really?" I asked in surprise. "That's actually pretty cool. Why've I never heard of this before?"

"I know not. Perhaps try asking your friend Rapunzel when you two next meet." Elsa coughed. "But that is besides the point. Please name to me a common household object as a warmup exercise."

"Warmup exercise?"

"Precisely. It has been quite some time since I've last had a... _visitor_ , besides yourself, and as a result I may be out of practice."

"Uhh... okay then, I get it. How about an orange, then?"

"Very well." Elsa closed her eyes and slowly fluttered down like a sheet of paper on the bed, assuming a kneeling position as she landed. A light shimmer rippled across her body.

"Tell me Anna, what do you see?"

"...Not very much to be honest but—oh god, what's going on?"

The edges of my vision had began to cloud over and darken. I flailed my head around in a panic as the colours of the world then began to desaturate.

"Relax, Anna." Came Elsa's voice. "Whatever you are seeing right now is normal, and should pass soon. Please try not to injure yourself in the meantime."

I did as was told and relaxed, trusting in Elsa. As predicted, my vision eventually cleared, and soon the image of a perfectly spherical orange against a pure white background materialized into view.

The experience was... really trippy to say the least, and is also really hard to properly describe. The best analogy I could come up with to describe what it was like would be to say that it was as though I was suddenly wearing a weightless and invisible VR headset since no matter where I turned my head, the image of the orange followed suit, staying perfectly engrained in my vision.

Again, really trippy.

"Okay. I'm seeing an orange." I reported to Elsa, after which the image immediately began to fade away. I gasped out the second everything returned to normal. "That was really freaky."

"As it should." Elsa laughed. "Now let us try something else. Give me a scenario, this time more complex, and as well describe to me a background to go along with it."

"Uh, okay." I thought for a moment. "How about the two of us in the middle of a wide snowy field, with a newly built snowman between us?"

"Understood. Please hold..."

The previous uncomfortable events began to repeat themselves. Elsa's body shimmered, my vision clouded over, and colours of the world again began to desaturate. I really had no idea why or how this was all happening, but I shrugged internally and went along with it.

Soon I was looking at an upfront shot of an adorable snowman, with a blonde adolescent teen standing proudly on one side and a redhead of a similar age jumping for joy on the other. Snowflakes were slowly falling in both the foreground and background, lightly building upon the ocean of snow surrounding the two girls.

"This is beautiful, Elsa." I gasped in awe.

She chuckled quietly to herself. "Idealistic, isn't it?"

"Can you see all this as well?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Then can you make the redhead hug the blonde?"

"...Anna?"

"Please?" I insisted.

Elsa sighed. "Very well."

As was asked, the redhead in the vision promptly walked over to the blonde and pulled her into a tight squeeze, murmuring happily. The blonde looked taken aback at first, but soon came to her senses and reciprocated the hug, smiling as well.

"There." I smiled myself, satisfied. "If I can't do it in real life, then I'll do it here."

"How very thoughtful of you, Anna." Elsa laughed quietly. "Heartwarming as it may be however, I believe this to be a satisfactory warm up. Do you wish to move on?"

"Aw man. Fine." I replied reluctantly with a pout. I savoured every last second of the vision as it faded from view, trying to forever burn it into my memory. "So, now you were gonna show me... what happened on Valentine's Day, right?"

"Correct." Elsa replied. "Where exactly do you wish to begin?"

"How about the beginning? As in the day where you first met Belle. When was that again? July something?"

"July 24th, 1928."

"Right, of course you of all people would remember." I chuckled. "Yeah, if you could start there then that'd be great."

"Do you wish for me to place an emphasis on narration, or on the visuals?"

I thought about that for a moment, before replying. "This is your story. I think it's only fair for you to tell it how you want."

"Understood. Please make yourself comfortable."

Another shimmer flashed through Elsa's body.

* * *

Elsa's method of delivery really was reminiscent to that of a movie, in which all that I needed to do was to kick back, watch, and enjoy the show.

The first scene Elsa showed me began with a first-person view (all following scenes also proved to be shown in the first person) of the very same bedroom that the two of us were currently occupying, albeit far more clean and organized. The absence of any currently existing technology, as well as the presence of a typewriter sitting where my laptop should normally be, clued me in to the date even before Elsa spelled it out.

"We begin during July 24th, year of 1928." Elsa narrated. "My biology tutor had failed to arrive for our regularly scheduled evening lesson, and had more egregiously also failed to notify us of this fact whatsoever. As a result, I found myself with an unusually generous extra two hours of free time on my hands."

"At a loss as to what to do, I decided to head out and explore town. Such a journey was unprecedented, as I never before had the opportunity to do so since I rarely ever had free time to myself during the day."

 _Our movie protagonist, who I assumed was Elsa in the past, exited her bedroom and made her way down a familiar hallway, albeit now meticulously polished instead of horribly dusty, before descending down a similarly familiar flight of stairs. On her way out she met a rather chubby old man with a ridiculously large nose guarding the front door._

 _"Good evening, Ms. Elsa." the man greeted with a bow, confirming that the protagonist/cameraman was indeed Elsa._

 _"To you as well, Kai." she replied._

 _"Out and about this late at night?" Kai asked. "How very unusual."_

 _Elsa chuckled. "Indeed."_

 _Kai nodded, and like a cool old uncle kind of guy smiled conspiratorially before stepping aside. "I do hope you enjoy yourself tonight, Ms. Elsa."_

 _The view then dipped, which I guessed was from Elsa curtsying in response or something._

 _"Thank you, Kai." said Elsa, as she exited out the front door and into the night._

* * *

"I wandered town for some time, though there was little to see this far into the evening. I eventually came across an establishment that I would later discover to be a dance club of sorts, if highly archaic now by modern definitions."

 _The next scene was that of Elsa walking down a darkened and desolate street, passing by several roadside shops that had closed for the night. She paused momentarily to stare upwards at the bright pink neon sign belonging to the one establishment still operating at this hour._

 _[DRINK! DANCE! SING!]_

 _She looked around, and seeing nothing better to do, entered the building._

 _Elsa was greeted by a typical nightclub scene upon entry, if you took into consideration the fact that this was during the 30s. In one corner there were crowds of people swinging and dancing to an acoustic band, and in another there were people socializing and drinking at a bar, and in the middle lay a stage where a select few people stood singing their hearts out. Elsa stood there by the entrance for quite some time, analyzing and taking stock of her surroundings, before ultimately heading towards the bar furthest from all the yelling and screaming to presumably get herself something to drink."_

"I sat at the bar and nursed a gimlet for exactly 17 minutes, still not knowing what else to do, before _she_ arrived."

 _"Tu es trop belle pour avoir l'air si ennuyée." Came a sudden voice to Elsa's left._ _She turned around quizzically, staring at the petite brunette that had just taken the seat beside her._

" _I am too beautiful to be bored?" She translated amusedly._

 _The girl whirled around in surprise, before tensing up and timidly asking. "Parles-vous français?"_

" _Oui." Elsa replied._

 _The brunette's cheeks blossomed, and she covered her face in embarrassment. "Merde."_

 _Elsa laughed, not unkindly._

" _It's okay." She reassured. "I'm rather flattered, to be honest. My name's Elsa."_

 _The girl sighed in relief._

 _"Je m'appelle Belle. It is nice to meet you, Elsa."_

" _Likewise."_

 _The girl swiveled in her seat._ _"I wasn't lying though. It is a crime for someone as beautiful as you to be so bored."_

 _"Then perhaps I am forever doomed to life in prison." Elsa lamented. "As I do not often visit these establishments, and therefore am somewhat at a loss as to what to do."_

 _Belle laughed, now visibly much more at ease. "Come on then, I'll show you. The constable shall not lay their filthy hands upon you today if there's anything I can do about it."_

 _And with that, Belle grabbed a giggling Elsa by the hand and dragged her to the dance floor._

* * *

" **Tu es trop belle pour avoir l'air si ennuyée" was google translated. I highly doubt it is accurate, but oh well. C'est la vie.**

 **The other phrases are far simpler (as in, Canadian grade school level simple) so I'm much more confident that they're correct, but f** **or those who need it:**

 **Parles-vous francais = Do you speak French?**

 **Oui = Yes.**

 **Merde = Shit. (This was not part of the curriculum, by the way!)**

 **Je m'appelle Belle = My name is Belle.**


	19. Chapter 19

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Nineteen

* * *

"That night was the first time I was ever exposed to swing dance. If you recall a certain conversation we held back during your party when we first met face to face, you may remember that I alluded to the fact that I had a strong female dance partner during my youth. That someone, of course, would be Belle."

 _The visions very quickly became hazy once Belle and Elsa reached the dance floor, in that the details of anything other than Belle's face became blurry and that there were frequent gaps and skips in Elsa's retelling. I supposed that this may have been due to Elsa not having a perfect memory of the event, but there were however a few things I could clearly make out amongst the mess, such as..._

 _1) Elsa started out very slowly and cautiously, like a baby first learning to walk. This wasn't anything extraordinary, since Elsa herself said that she didn't know anything about swing dance prior to this point._

 _2) Belle was a very understanding and patient teacher, never once showing any outward semblance of annoyance, which I guessed was because..._

 _3) ...Elsa was a ridiculously fast learner, managing to nail most of the moves within merely half an hour. This wasn't much of a surprise to me, since she'd already demonstrated this crazy ability back during the icebreaker event Rapunzel dragged me to a couple days ago._

I got somewhat nauseous watching Elsa and Belle dance together in the first person, what with all the whirling and spinning and all, and ended up tuning out until Elsa "fastforwarded" to the aftermath. This was probably really rude of me, but hey, the way I see it it's a compliment since me getting dizzy from just watching them means that they were really rocking it out that night.

 _The next scene was that of the two tired girls hauling their equally exhausted butts back to their seats at the bar, which miraculously still lay vacant after all this time. They laughed the entire time without a care for the world, and it really showed on their faces, not to mention themselves. Belle's formerly well groomed hair was now completely dishevelled, and judging by the few bangs that were obscuring my view I could tell that Elsa's hair was messy as well. I was also kind of glad that I would never know how badly the two stank of sweat that night._

" _Hahahaha! Did you see that Elsa?" whooped Belle. "We were the queens of the world back there!"_

 _Elsa laughed a small, tired laugh that all but screamed "Hell yeah!" before subsequently checking her wristwatch and grimacing. She'd stayed out far longer than the two hours she'd earlier allotted herself._

" _I really must return home..." was all that she said aloud, her voice trembling ever so slightly._

 _Elsa abruptly rose to her feet, and had begun to leave for the door when Belle suddenly gripped her hand, rooting her in place._

" _Wait wait, before you go," she said. "I had a lot of fun today. Would you like to meet up again sometime later?"_

 _Knowing Elsa's relatively friendless background, I could predict the long pause that ensued even before it happened. Belle's smile grew more and more strained as the seconds dragged on, but thankfully Elsa managed to squeak out an "I'd love to," before bolting away into the night._

* * *

"That was how Belle and I first met," Elsa concluded, as the real world suddenly came rushing back into view. "Recall, Anna, that I led quite a sheltered life prior to this point, and fearing the repercussions of being discovered sneaking out I ran home as fast as I possibly could that night. Belle and I did go on to meet again however, week after week, using the time I originally had allocated to studying human biology. I will freely admit that I had never truly felt _alive_ prior to meeting Belle.

"We at first had only dancing as a common outlet, though we soon found other shared interests as we grew to become comfortable with each another's presence. For example, we very quickly discovered a shared passion for chess, and chess soon became a powerful alternative to dancing."

"How did you guys manage that without your dad noticing? The whole weekly meeting thing." I asked, still reeling back slightly from the sudden change in perspective.

"I simply informed the tutor that I no longer required his services, but payed him regardless to visit in order to maintain appearances," Elsa replied. "Kai was essential in this subterfuge, though he did not personally understand its necessity."

"Because daddy would eventually find out, right?" I interjected. "Which he did, but how?"

"He found a strand of Belle's hair lying around the house one day, ostensibly from a time when she had come over for a visit. Through that alone he became suspicious, since there had been no brunette living in the household for many years, and he casually confronted me on the issue later that evening."

"Ouch. But if I remember correctly he was totally cool with it right?"

"Indeed. He quite simply laughed away my worries when I confessed, before granting me his explicit blessing to reorganize my schedule as I saw fit. I found myself overall much happier afterwards, due to my newfound ability to meet Belle whenever I so choosed."

"And to cut to the case, you eventually ended up developing feelings for Belle?"

Elsa pursed her lips. "Yes, it would seem."

"Then," I began, hesitating slightly. "...How did it all come crashing down?"

Elsa sighed, and another shimmer rippled through her body. The weariness on her face sent a shiver down mine.

* * *

 _This vision began with Elsa standing near the entrance of a some kind of park, a plethora of bodies dispersed all around her. The sun was shining directly overhead, and I noted that the shadows were at their smallest, signalling that right now it was sometime around noon._

"The date is February 14th, 1929. The fateful night," Elsa began. "Nearly a full year has passed since our first meeting together. My identity and heritage had by now become common knowledge amongst the populace, as if you recall I had refrained from displaying myself publicly prior to meeting Belle. I had planned today as the date where I would confess my newfound feelings to her."

 _Here I became aware of what Elsa held in her hands: a bouquet of roses, and a heart shaped box of what was presumably chocolate. So incredibly cliche, but understandable and honestly kind of sweet coming from Elsa._

 _Elsa took a few cautious steps into the grassy field and scanned the surrounding region, searching for the one girl she cared about most. She found the brunette sitting on a bench, nose crammed into a book and seemingly unaware of Elsa's presence even as she began a quiet approach from behind._

 _Elsa was just about to tap Belle on the shoulder when the brunette suddenly decided to spin a 180 out of the blue, turning the tables on Elsa and causing her to stumble back in surprise._

" _Salut!" Belle laughed. "How are you today Elsa?"_

" _Fine!" gasped Elsa, before bursting into laughter as well. "I'm doing just fine, thank you very much."_

" _That's great to hear!" Belle gasped, before her face broke out in a wild cheek to cheek grin. "Oh, but what's all this that you're holding right now? Did someone give you this? Congratulations, Elsa! Who's the lucky man who's managed to encapture your heart?"_

 _The pause before Elsa's response was oh so painfully noticeable. Clearly she had not expected this response._

" _Lucky man?" Elsa replied in confusion." "Non. There was no such man, Belle. The roses and chocolates are for you."_

 _Elsa held out the gifts in question, but the sudden frown on Belle's face spoke volumes._

" _For me?" She replied in disbelief, before turning away. "But, then that means... oh, merde."_

" _What's wrong?" asked Elsa, her confusion and unease growing. I could tell that Elsa had no idea why Belle was reacting this way._

" _Elsa, had you never been taught that love between two girls is unnatural?"_

" _Unnatural? Belle, I don't understand." Elsa's voice trembled, betraying her blatant growing fear. Her arms drooped back to her sides, shaking all the while. Obviously she had not expected it to go this way either._

" _This is not right," came Belle's voice, slowly and quietly. "Elsa, I cannot accept these gifts."_

 _I could practically feel Elsa's heart shatter into a million pieces._

 _At those six terrible words, Elsa dropped the gifts to the ground and fled the park at lightning speed, ignoring Belle's cries for her to stop. The view became distorted and watery as Elsa ran, but I didn't need that to know that she was crying._

* * *

"Word spread quickly," came a small, tired voice—the real life Elsa's. "There were many witnesses in the park that day, and soon the famous business conglomerate's daughter's sexuality became the talk of the town. I learned that day that the queer back then in Arendelle were seen as victims to a vicious mental disease, and that they were often looked upon with pity. Father was no exception, and he was distraught upon hearing the news, to say the least."

 _The vision shifted to that of Elsa sitting on her bed, a blonde man in front of her standing stock straight at the attention._

" _Dad, I—I didn't know," blubbered Elsa. "These feelings... I had thought them to be normal."_

 _The man, Elsa's dad presumably, fell to one knee and gently sandwiched Elsa's hands in his own._

" _Oh, Elsa... I am so incredibly sorry," he began. "Had your mother still been around, or had I been a more attentive father, we may very well have been able to detect this disease long before you matured into an adult. Alas however, we did not, and now you must face the consequences of our inaction."_

 _I felt a tinge of anger at the mindset these people held towards the LGBTQ back in the 30s. I mean, like, Elsa's dad sounds like a cool dude and all, but it's infuriating just how wrong he is about the nature of Elsa's sexuality._

" _What do I do now, Dad?" Elsa asked, her voice shaky._

 _The man rose to his feet, releasing Elsa's hands and returning to his ramrod stance._

" _Therapy and support, my dear," he replied. "I am confident that with enough professional counselling that you may very well break free of your affliction. I know you can do it, in fact. You're my daughter after all."_

"And thus, having been told that I had a problem with my brain, I went to therapy," said Elsa. "I was determined not to allow this so-called disease dictate my life, for I had only now just begun to wake up after mindlessly shambling through it or some 20 odd years. I had high hopes and dreams for my future."

 _The next scene morphed from Elsa sitting on her bed into that of her sitting on a chair in a nondescript room, flanked on both sides by men wearing surgical lab coats. An old fashioned movie projector shone an imagine of an attractive female onto the wall opposite to Elsa._

" _Ms. Winters," began the man on the right. "Please describe to me the image you see before you."_

" _A lady," Elsa replied._

" _Correct." The image now changed to that of the same lady, albeit naked. "And what do you see now?"_

" _The same lady as before... though she has now been stripped of her clothing."_

" _Correct again. Now tell me, do you find this image to be arousing?"_

 _A pause ensued._

" _Ms. Winters?"_

 _Elsa coughed. "It would appear that I do."_

 _The vision spasmed for an instant, and I could hear Elsa gasping for breath afterwards. What the hell just happened?_

" _Do you still feel such amorous feelings, Ms. Winters?" came the voice._

" _...Y-yes. I'm afraid so." Elsa gasped._

" _Oh dear. Let us try again."_

 _The vision spasmed once again. This time however, I could hear the electricity before it was applied to Elsa's body._

* * *

"This continued for several hour long sessions over the course of two weeks, with increasing voltages applied each session," came Elsa's tired voice once again as the real world came rushing back into view. "When that proved ineffective, they then went on to try different methods of aversion therapy, such as drug induced nausea and/or vomiting in place of the electric shocks."

"Failing that, they then instructed me to self-stimulate to an image of a naked male. When that too failed to bring about change, they then brought in a live male."

My jaw had plummeted to the ground by this point, and I was abjectly horrified.

"I had agreed to all these tests, myself having become desperate for a supposed cure. Having exhausted all other avenues however, they afterwards resorted to one final measure in that they attempted a lobotomy. I was told only that the procedure involved inserting a screwdriver-like instrument directly into my eyesocket, and that it was my last chance for a cure."

"Elsa," I choked out. "You didn't."

"I recall no further events past this point, and thus I surmise that I perished that night in the chair. Does this satisfy your curiosity, Anna?"

Elsa's voice had by now dropped to no more than a faint whisper, and it was then that I realized in horror that I made Elsa relive her death throes.

"I—you—I didn't..."

I choked up with tears. There was nothing to say. There was nothing I could say. Even if Elsa had been the one to suggest this, I still felt like I wanted to crawl up into a ball and cry. How could life be so terrible to Elsa...?

"Now then, if you will excuse me..." said Elsa, weary as ever. "...I think it would do us some good to be apart for some time."

I merely nodded in agreement as Elsa disappeared from sight.

* * *

 **Well, yep. Hope the presentation didn't fall flat on its face.**

 **Salut = Hey/Hello**

 **I'm really kicking myself here for what I did in the previous two chapters. I had been wondering myself just why in the world would Elsa be spilling her life story to Anna, especially considering what Anna had just done?**

 **I retroactively came up with a pretty good solution: she's telling all this to Anna because she's profoundly upset with her for intruding on her privacy and doesn't intend to ever speak to Anna again after telling her all this, but because I had already established that the two basically kissed and made up I can't use that explanation. RIP.**


	20. Chapter 20

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Twenty

* * *

I tossed and turned in bed for what felt like hours after Elsa's disappearance, never once being able to get comfortable no matter how many times I shifted around. Thoughts of her plagued my mind, forcibly keeping me up throughout the night despite my ever increasing desire for the welcome embrace of sleep.

Elsa, the girl pushed by society to change a fundamental aspect of her identity, through a process so traumatic it even now is hard to believe happened despite her mere physical presence providing ample proof. The fact that she so willingly subjected herself to mutilation in search of a cure for her supposed "disease" really spoke a lot.

Maybe her incredible will to survive's why she's still hanging around after death, despite the world having it out for her.

I'd laughed self-deprecatingly at myself at that thought, because it wasn't like _I'd_ been any better to her. Anna, the "friend" who'll unhesitatingly intrude on your most private thoughts just because she's _bored_. Could I possibly get any more insensitive and self-absorbed?

I continued to toss and turn through the night, catatonic with these depressing feelings for what must actually have been several hours, because the next thing I knew sunlight was creeping through the cracks of my blinds and my alarm was suddenly screeching at me to haul my ass out of bed and get ready for the bus.

Sigh. Looks like I'm not getting any sleep.

* * *

I didn't do too well in my classes today.

I zoned my Calculus professor out when he started droning on about the principles of differentiation, and spent most of today's Economics lecture fiddling with the volume control setting on my phone. Hell, in my sleepyheadedness I even accidentally ended up attending Mr. Weaselton's awful History lecture.

I absentmindedly noted that the Weasel really did look a lot like an actual weasel during the small timeframe before I realized my mistake. Not sure if that was my sleep deprived brain talking or anything, but I laughed to myself regardless upon seeing the resemblance, before immediately turning on my heel to haul ass out of there because I didn't hate myself nearly as much as I'd need to yet in order to willingly subject myself to a lecture from the Weasel, even if I was fairly confident that I'd be asleep within seconds of him opening his mouth.

I stumbled home that afternoon after I'd finally managed to blunder my way through all my classes, giving Mom a halfhearted hello and sorry when I accidentally bumped into her as I shambled up the stairs to take a nap despite knowing full well that it'd wreck my sleep schedule.

Dinner wasn't all that great either once I woke up, despite Mom actually having the time for once today to prepare a real meal instead of falling back upon the tried and true microwavable dinners or instant noodles like we do every other night. Mom gave me this weird look when I pushed around some mashed potatoes, but didn't seem to press the issue. I found that just I didn't really have much of an appetite.

Tuesday as it turns out wasn't all too great either, since my nap earlier had predictably ruined any attempt at falling asleep on a reasonable schedule. Wednesday wasn't any better as well, in fact it was worse because by then I'd already begun to make a habit out of being chronically late for class. By the time Thursday rolled around I finally was able to arrive on time and fully rested for once, but to my frustration I discovered that even then I still couldn't focus on my studies.

Elsa never showed up once throughout the week, but I could hardly blame her for that.

* * *

Mom was waiting for me in the kitchen after my 4th consecutive day of uselessly moping around, watching me from where she sat at the kitchen table as I tiredly stumbled my way down the stairs to begin the 5th. She had this strange look in her eyes when we made eye contact, like she was a hawk staring down a meal.

I imagined the hawk swooping down on its prey as I passed by, and sure enough...

"Sit down."

She was using her authoritative voice, the one I knew she'd use whenever dealing with a cranky patient at the hospital who'd refuse to take their medicine, or a young Anna who'd refuse to eat her vegetables. Knowing this, I silently and unceremoniously plonked myself down onto the nearest stool, feeling uniquely reminded of how Elsa had been cornered by her own father in this very same house several years ago.

"What's up?" I asked, the fatigue in my voice apparently more obvious than I'd thought.

"What's up?" Mom repeated incredulously. "Why don't you tell me what's up?"

"I'm fine, Mom." I lied instinctively, albeit rather unconvincingly even to myself.

"Mhmm," Mom hummed, clearly skeptical. "You and I both know that's not true. Want to talk about what's been on your mind?"

I thought long and hard about this question. On one hand, I'd really like to get myself out of the funk I've been in lately since I knew my grades would suffer if I kept this up. But on the other hand... I've already done enough damage to Elsa, and I could definitely do without the guilt of having potentially revealed her existence to the entire world weighing on my conscience. But maybe if I—

"—Is it about the ghost girl?" Mom asked suddenly.

My shocked reaction must've also been more obvious than I'd thought, because Mom immediately went on to muse "Huh, so it is about her after all," to herself.

My mind went into overdrive. How did Mom know? Did Elsa reveal herself to her sometime before everything went down the pooper and didn't tell me? Or did Mom just catch a lucky glimpse of Elsa or something while walking past a mirror? Or maybe she—

"—What?" Mom asked, upon seeing me staring back at her with my jaw agape, and once again interrupting my internal monologue.

"How did you know about Elsa?" I stammered, after struggling with the words for a few seconds.

"I didn't," Mom admitted. "I was suspicious of course. Was pretty hard not to be. But it wasn't until you reacted the way that you just did that I knew for certain."

"Suspicious? Suspicious how?"

Mom gave me a look that all but screamed 'are you serious?' before shrugging.

"Well..." she obliged, taking in a deep breath before leaning back in her chair to recount a story.

"...It all started on the first day we moved in actually, when you suddenly flew down the stairs as though your very life depended on it after your Rapunzel friend had told us about the Elsa myth. It didn't take a genius to tell what you were doing up there, but I thought you were pulling my leg at first until I saw that you seemed genuinely terrified."

"Yeah, but I didn't—"

"—I thought that you'd simply managed to pull off a very convincing performance that night, but then I woke up the very next day feeling incredibly sore in my hands and wrists for a reason I just couldn't understand. I was certain that I hadn't overexerted myself the other day, but just as I was beginning to doubt myself it just so happened that you somehow managed to scrub off over 60 years worth of caked on dirt and grime off the stove through sheer manpower alone. I still didn't suspect much at the time, but it got me thinking."

"Okay, but then what about—"

"Anna, please. Let me continue."

"...Fine."

Mom paused to rest her chin on her fist, deep in thought.

"There was also that one time where you were attacked by that horrid man."

I shuddered at the reminder of Hans. I hope he's rotting in jail.

"You said to the police that he chloroformed you, but then that you still managed to beat him senseless somehow. I don't mean to say that you're out of shape or anything Anna, but knowing you that's pretty hard to believe ever since you quit rock climbing, so I suspected immediately that there was something you weren't letting on at the time."

...I guess we haven't been doing nearly as good a job at covering our tracks as we'd thought.

"And lastly, there was that one time when I caught you somehow dancing a perfect waltz in the middle of your room. You and I both know that you'd never taken a dance class before in your life, so that alone was a pretty big sign something was up. There was also the fact that your eye colour was blue for some reason instead of teal as well, but do you know what really did it Anna? What finally got me to believe that this ghost friend of yours might actually be real?"

"..."

"Well?"

"I don't know," I huffed. "You tell me."

Mom began to laugh.

"Because Anna," she began, now laughing as though she hadn't ever laughed for a very long time. "Not once, for the entire 19 years you've been alive, have you ever called me 'Mother' instead of 'Mom.' So when you _did_ all of a sudden... I knew for a fact that the girl standing in front of me was not my daughter."

...Wow.

So Elsa's formality had come back to bite her in the ass, and to think that we were done in by something so simple...

"Okay, so you know she's real," I conceded. "So what?"

"So what?" Mom repeated in disbelief. "So clearly _something_ must've happened between you and Elsa if you're to suddenly stop talking to yourself and start acting all moody and depressed, which means that I feel obligated as your mother to ask you what's wrong, even if it's been practically 3 years since I've last had to ask that of you."

I let out a long sigh, because Mom had a point. I took a deep breath of my own, before explaining to Mom everything that had happened since the very first day we moved in.

I told her about how I'd caught a glimpse of Elsa even before we'd ever heard about her from Rapunzel, and about how Elsa had promptly scared a few years off my life after we did. I told her about how Elsa had borrowed her body to reach out to me afterwards in order to apologize and make amends, and of how she'd been the cause of her wrist pains that morning. I then described how Elsa and I had slowly bonded with each other both before and after discovering the powers of the sapphire earrings that currently hung from my lobes. I let Mom try the jewels on for herself when she asked, but without Elsa around there really wasn't any point.

I then, somewhat begrudgingly, admitted that she was right to be skeptical of my physical prowess because it indeed was Elsa who had driven away Hans that night when he broke in. Mom made me promise to set up a meeting with Elsa later so that she could thank the ghost properly.

I then tried my hardest to explain what little I understood about our ability to share bodies, though I don't think I ended up making much sense at all since I barely understood it myself. I figured that a demonstration would be best, but Elsa not being here and all made that impossible.

I finally then got around to telling Mom about Elsa's journal, of how I had intruded upon it, and of how Elsa had ultimately died. Mom made this weird face when I mentioned Belle, but when I called her on it she shrugged and urged me to continue regardless.

"That's pretty much it," I replied, when she did. "Elsa just disappeared afterward. And. I—I don't know. I felt really bad for what I did to her and couldn't sleep that night, which lead to me not paying attention in class. And even yesterday when I wasn't feeling dead tired, I found that I just couldn't focus on anything. That's why I've been acting the way I've been lately."

Mom took a small sip from mug of coffee she'd made for herself during my spiel.

"You feel guilty," she said simply.

"...I do, yeah." I admitted.

Mom rose from her seat, quietly walking over to the nearby window to stare outside.

"Can you tell me more about this Belle person?" she casually asked.

I shrugged, forgetting momentarily that Mom couldn't see the gesture with her back to me. "Don't know much about her, honestly. I'd get Elsa to tell you, but as far as I know she's _gone_ gone. That, or she's just choosing not to show up."

"Hmm, unfortunate. Do you know how old she and Elsa were then, back in 1928?" Mom asked, trying a different line of questioning.

I shrugged, again forgetting that Mom couldn't see it. "I'd guess around 20, or something? Hard to tell."

Mom took another sip from her mug, and I heard her counting under her breath for some reason. She slowly turned back around on her heel afterwards, taking yet another sip as she did.

"If that's right, then if Belle and Elsa were still alive today they'd be about approximately 110 years old, correct?"

"Sure, I guess? Why's that important?" I gave Mom a weird look. Where's she going with this?

Mom closed the distance and returned to her seat at the kitchen table, setting aside her mug and steepling her fingers to stare at me.

"Because Anna. Hard to believe as it may seem..." she began. "...If what you say is true, then I believe that Belle might still be alive."

* * *

 **Oldest confirmed person alive ever is a French lady who clocks in at 122 years, so it's plausible!**

 **-:-**

 **In response to the very valid points made by a Guest, in what might be one of the longest reviews I've ever received:  
** **(I'm not trying to defend myself here or anything btw. It's an excellent review and I felt that these points should be addressed publicly.)**

 **Q: How are Elsa and Anna ever gonna get together? There's like no romantic subplot here whatsoever.**

 **The romance tag was something that I threw in at the beginning with the idea that I'd figure out later how to incorporate it into the story. But now, having finally fleshed out Elsa's history over the course of several months, I honestly can't see it happening anymore anytime soon.**

 **Elsa died believing that homosexuality was a legitimate disease, and for all we know she's spent the entirety of her afterlife believing as such. Therefore, I feel as though that she'd need a whole lot of legitimate therapy and support before she could even possibly begin to entertain the idea of entering a relationship with another woman. Even if it's with Anna.** **As such, I may actually end up removing that tag because while I wholeheartedly believe that romance is possible between the two, it just isn't the focus of this story.**

 **Q: If Elsa's backstory is set in 1928, then why's alcohol being so widely touted during the middle of the Prohibition? I'm also feeling that most people wouldn't be in much of a partying mood after the Wall Street Crash...**

 **Turns out I'm pretty bad at history, because I completely forgot about both those events when writing the story. Oops.**

 **However! As it turns out, the crash would not yet happen for several months by the time Elsa died (she died a couple weeks after Valentines Day, and the crash apparently happened during October), and that Norway (the very loose setting of the story in my mind) had supposedly lifted their ban on alcohol by 1927. Whew, crisis averted!**

 **But, as was pointed out, the story not being set in America only raises more issues. Why is everyone speaking English? And why are people using dollars as currency? Swing dance? Neon signs? Why does the setting basically scream America? And to that I say...**

 **...Darn.**

 **Because those inconsistencies can't be simply explained away since they're brought on by the fact that I'm wholly unfamiliar with Norwegian culture, and filled in with what I knew.** **I'd forgotten about the Prohibition and Wall Street Crash because we don't necessarily study it in Canada.**

 **I mean yeah, I could say instead that everything takes place in Canada, and thinking about it that actually seems to work out quite well for this story, but I'd rather not make up convoluted excuses to** **hide the fact that I'd always intended from the start for the story to be set in Norway but didn't really do the proper research in order to support it.**

 **I know it sounds like I'm making a big deal of all this, but realism in my stories is something I've always tried to strive for (to varying degrees of success since cough my other story ATAL is not very realistic now that I look back upon it cough). That being said however, I'm not going to be losing sleep over these mistakes because I feel confident that these details can be overlooked since they don't affect the story nearly as badly as a plot hole would.**

 **But I'll admit that deep down they do bug me a little since I've always liked to write my stories as though they could've plausibly happened in real life.**


	21. Chapter 21

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Twenty One

* * *

"Woah woah woah, _what?_ " I staggered back in shock. "Are you sure it's the same person?"

"Could be." Mom shrugged. "Could very well not be. She's old enough to fit the part and her last name sounds reasonably French, so I brought it up."

"How could she possibly even still be alive?" I asked, skeptical.

Mom shrugged again. "Don't know honestly, but it's certainly not unheard of for people to live beyond a century. I personally doubt that they could be the same person but it's possible."

I think I owed it to Elsa to find out. "Could I visit her, then? To see for myself?"

Mom nodded, before taking another sip from her mug. "You may want to do it sooner rather than later though. Her health's been rather poor lately and the doctors aren't quite sure how much longer she has to live. Apparently she's been defying death for a long time now."

I abruptly rose from my seat. "In that case, I'm gonna go right now."

Mom quirked an eyebrow at me, amused. "I'm fairly certain that you're not part of Belle's immediate family Anna, and visiting hours isn't until the afternoon..."

"Well yeah," I protested. "But this is important!"

"University is too y'know. Don't you have classes today?"

"But Mom..."

"Anna, I personally can say that the chance that she'll suddenly drop dead within the next few hours is incredibly low. I've only known Belle for two weeks, but already she's among one of the toughest people I've taken care of before."

I crossed my arms in a huff, conceding the point.

"Fine."

Mom chuckled to herself. "Atta girl. She's inside room 319 on the third floor. Front door passcode this week's 3278. I'm working the afternoon shift today so if you stop by around that time and get lost you can come try to find me."

Mom casually checked the time on her phone, and clucked her tongue at me once the little screen lit up.

"Alright I've held you long enough. You need some breakfast and you're gonna be late for the bus if I keep you any longer."

* * *

I don't think I've ever had a slower school day in my life.

It really was only a couple hours long to be fair, but I swear to god that it felt more like fifty years. I also had more trouble than ever trying to stay focused, because previously I'd only had to deal with thoughts of Elsa alone but now I had to deal with thoughts about both Elsa _and_ Belle. Like, could Belle really still be alive after all this time? What's her life been like between now and 1928?

I also don't think I've ever run as fast as I did once the last lecture of the day was finished. I basically was up and out the door within the instant, and I'm pretty sure that I'd managed to make it across campus and to the bus loop within a minute.

The bus ride was pretty darn slow too though, though I also had a couple more thoughts about Belle to keep me company as I made my way downtown. What does she look like right now? Does she still remember Elsa? What exactly am I gonna do when I get to the hospital anyway? What if it's not even the same person and I'm getting all worked up over nothing?

The last two thoughts stood out most prominently in my mind all, but I knew as I hopped off the bus and began the sprint down towards the mom's workplace that I was gonna find out soon.

* * *

307... 308... 309... 310...

I briskly made my way down the hallway of the hospital, quickly scanning the nameplates of each door as I passed by. Assorted staffmembers were going about their business all around me, ducking in and out of assorted rooms as if this were a Scooby-Doo cartoon all over again.

316... 317... 318... Aha! 319.

Belle's room, supposedly.

I reached out and grabbed the knob, pausing in front of the door to steel myself as the full reality of what was about to happen slowly sank in. In a way, the sole reason for both Elsa's life and death potentially lay behind this door, and I still hadn't yet thought of what I was going to do if it actually was her.

It'd be great if Elsa were here, but she wasn't, and I didn't know how to call her.

The door was suddenly pulled open from the inside as I hemmed and hawed, catching me by surprise when it pulled me along with it though I managed to steady myself in time to prevent a fall. I prepared to give the perpetrator a nasty death glare once I dusted myself off.

"Oh, hey Mom," I laughed sheepishly once the door swung fully open.

Mom laughed as well. "Here for Belle already I see?"

"Yep."

"Did you wash your hands before you came in?"

I gave Mom the 'are you serious?' look, because of course I did. Comes with having a career nurse for a parent and all. She seemed to get the hint.

"Perfect timing then, because I'd just finished helping her do her business." Mom stepped aside, gesturing towards one of the two hospital beds behind her which I assumed to be Belle's. "She's in there."

I nodded a 'thanks' to Mom before beginning to make my way into the room. Just as I passed by however, Mom stopped me in my tracks with a hand on my chest.

"Anna, one more thing I'd like to mention."

I turned my head around to find Mom close enough to basically lean in and whisper into my ear, which she did.

"It technically was a breach of doctor-patient confidentiality on my part to tell you all that I did about Belle, so could you do me a favour and keep all this a secret? I could lose my job otherwise."

I nodded an affirmative before voicing one as well.

"Thanks, sweetie." The hand on my chest moved to pat me on the back, and the next thing I knew Mom had already closed the door shut behind her, leaving me alone in Room 319.

I turned toward the side that supposedly housed Belle, taking a deep breath. Well, here goes nothing.

* * *

I pushed aside the privacy curtains and made my way in, only to be immediately greeted by what my friend would again call a sad sight for sore eyes.

And for once I'd actually have to agree with him.

There in the bed indeed lay an old lady, the number of tubes leading into her body fighting for dominance against the number of wrinkles on her face alone.

This was Belle, supposedly, or what was left of her at least. I found it difficult to believe that this was once the cheery young brunette I'd seen before in Elsa's memories, so I leaned in for a closer look.

Her eyes were scrunched up, and her mouth drawn into a firm line as though she were uncomfortable, or in pain or something. But surely Mom wouldn't have deliberately left someone in this state, right?

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, thinking that it better be safe than sorry.

The lady grumbled at my words, cracking an eye open to sneak a peek at me before rolling over onto her side facing away from me.

"I thought I told you to leave me alone," she scoffed, audibly annoyed.

I stood there for a few seconds, dumbfounded, before stomping over to the other side to lean right into her face. "Excuse me," I shot back, rather miffed. "But as you can plainly see, you and I have never met before."

I began to question my actions the instant I'd uttered those words. What I was doing? Getting mad at some random old lady in a hospital whom I don't even know? Good god I wished I was less impulsive. Why couldn't I...

...Why are her eyes now the size of dinner plates? And why is she suddenly reaching out for my face?

"What?" I asked, backing away slowly.

"Come back." she whispered, her arm still extended.

"Why?"

"...Please." There was now a hint of desperation in her tone.

"O-okay...?"

I hesitatingly complied, squatting down next to the bed to bring my face next to hers once again.

"I know these," she muttered, as her bony fingers wrapped around the teardrop earrings that still hung from my lobes. Realization dawned upon me.

The old lady recognized Elsa's earrings. There was no doubt about it, she had to be Belle.

"I... a friend of mine let me borrow them not too long ago," I stammered, dropping my guard. "Her name's Elsa. Do you know her?"

Belle let out a small gasp, before pulling away to press down on a button that slowly brought both the bed and herself into an upright position.

"...Impossible," she croaked. "Elsa died almost a century ago."

I rose to my feet and leaned back, crossing my arms. "She did, yeah. She's a ghost now."

"...What?" Belle asked, clearly and understandably skeptical. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know," I admitted honestly. "But she's not here right now. You'd actually be able to talk to her if she were, though."

Belle's eyes widened to an even bigger extent than they did before, and she weakly reached out to tug on my sleeve.

"You're not lying, are you?" She asked.

I shook my head, and she released her grip.

"...I'd love nothing more than to talk to Elsa. Do you think you could call her?"

I shrugged. "I would, but I don't know how."

"Please," Belle pleaded, hope evident by her tone. "Try."

And so I did, though not much came to mind. I first tried to vocally calling out to Elsa once again, though that accomplished nothing more than to make me look like an idiot in front of Belle. I then tried taking an earring off and giving it a good shake to see if that'd do anything, which it didn't of course.

A crazy idea crept into my mind afterwards as I absentmindedly tossed said earring back and forth between my hands. I had no idea if it'd work, but I'd already run out of ideas, and seeing how simply waiting for Elsa to return of her own accord was out of the question since Mom herself had said that Belle didn't have much longer to live, I decided to try a more drastic measure.

So I grit my teeth, and tried flinging the earring into the floor with all my might.

It didn't break of course, but the impact was profoundly loud for a hospital setting. I immediately ran over to the hallway and poked my head out to yell "everything's fine!" in order to deter people from investigating.

Sure enough however, I found Elsa hovering above me when I'd turned back around, looking quite visibly dazed and annoyed.

"Anna, please explain why you felt the need to do that," Elsa complained, holding a hand to her head.

"Elsa!" I exclaimed, more overjoyed than sorry that the crazy idea actually worked. "No time to talk, there's someone here who wants to see you!"

"I beg your pardon?" Elsa asked, thoroughly perplexed. "Who in the world could possibly..?"

"Actually Elsa, hold on for a second!"

Another idea had suddenly sprung into mind, and so I hurriedly made my way towards Belle's bed, swooping up the fallen earring as I passed by.

"She's here?" Belle asked when I ducked under the privacy curtains, hope plainly evident in her voice.

I nodded in response, before taking off my remaining earring to offer both to Belle. "Here, you won't be able to see or hear Elsa without these. Do you want me to help you put them on?"

Belle looked at the jewelry dumbly, fingering the chipped part of the earring I'd manhandled with a rather large frown on her face before hesitatingly taking the earrings into her hands.

"I can manage," she asserted, whilst groping seemingly blindly at her ears for a few seconds before pulling her hands away to reveal that she'd somehow already expertly inserted both into her lobes. "It doesn't feel right though, wearing these," she mused. "I'd originally made them for Elsa to wear, not myself."

" _You_ made these?" I asked in disbelief.

"That I did," she affirmed.

...Huh. Well, makes sense. Elsa did say that the earrings were originally a gift after all, and who else other than Belle to be the one to give them to her?

"Are you ready?" I asked to Belle, who gave a small tilt of her head as an affirmative. I'd only known her for like, 5 minutes, but already I was getting the feeling that she both looked and felt visibly younger.

"Okay, get ready then..." I took a breath, before calling out. "Elsa! C'mere!"

Despite not being able to physically see Elsa anymore, I could plainly tell when she'd arrived by how Belle's eyes suddenly and impossibly grew to be even wider than the previous two times combined. I hope she doesn't end up having a heart attack or something...

"I-Is that you, Elsa?" Belle gasped.

An extended pause ensued. Elsa was probably saying something in response right about now.

"..."

"Tu es trop belle pour avoir l'air si ennuyée…" Belle stammered, as though she were repeating after someone. "No one else would know that..."

"..."

"Merde, it really is you. Listen, I—I'm _so_ sorry... what?"

"..."

"Elsa, don't be naive. I'm not asking for your forgiveness. I do not believe that I deserve any."

"..."

Belle's voice grew timid. "...Do you really mean that?"

"..."

Belle sighed as though fifty tons of weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"I... thank you, Elsa. Did you know that the scientists have since discovered that homosexuality isn't a disease?"

"..."

Belle chuckled quietly.

"I know. It was hard for me to believe at first as well, but I've since come to accept it. It would be best if you do so as well."

"..."

"Did you know that I have great-grandchildren, Elsa? Some of them are gay as well, and I'd never want for them to be put through what I heard they did to you."

"..."

Belle started tearing up at that point, and I began to grow painfully aware that I probably didn't belong in this room right now. I quietly eyed the exit as Belle crossed her arms and leaned back into her upright mattress.

"I wish things had gone differently as well..." she sighed. "Who knows what life would've been like, had I reacted differently that day?"

"..."

"My husband?" Belle laughed, her mood visibly shifting. "His name was Adam, bless his soul. A brilliant dancer, though nowhere near as good a partner as you are. Hmm? Yes, he was very charming..."

"..."

I quietly snuck out, leaving the two to themselves.

* * *

 **Thus ends the last of the scenes I'd envisioned at story creation. Anything here on out is truly being made on the fly.**

 **Maybe only a couple more left though.**


	22. Chapter 22

.

Sins of the Past

-:-

Chapter Twenty Two

* * *

I quietly returned to Room 319 a little while later once I'd figured that enough time had passed for Belle and Elsa to have sorted out their more sensitive issues, and was glad to find Belle still talking animatedly into thin air, since her being quiet and all would've suggested that things hadn't worked out between the two of them and that obviously wouldn't have been very good. She glanced over in my direction as I made my way to the foot of her bed and smiled warmly as I approached.

"Welcome back," she greeted. "And you would be Anna, am I correct?"

"Yeah," I replied, somewhat curious as to how Belle suddenly knew my name. "Has Elsa been talking about me?"

"We were." Belle nodded an affirmative. "Just a few minutes ago, in fact."

"Really?" I quirked my head to the side in surprise. "Good things, I hope?"

"For the most part, yes. She's told me mostly about the little adventures the two of you have had during your short time together." Belle laughed. "I'd have to admit that I was very happy to hear that you've given Elsa an opportunity to experience modern life."

"Ah, well. It's not that big of a deal, really." I sheepishly scratched the back of my head. "Anyone could've done that."

"..."

Belle shook her head. "Elsa doesn't seem to agree. She... seems to be saying something about body sharing..? Would you know anything about that, Anna?"

Oh right, of course. I suppressed the urge to palm my forehead.

"..."

Belle's face contorted with confusion. "I don't understand, Elsa. What do you mean when you say, 'I can borrow Anna's body?' Do you mean to say you can possess her?"

"Pretty much." I chimed in. "Apparently it works best with me for some reason, but I don't really understand how it works either. There are other things she can do too."

"..."

"Hmm?" Belle turned abruptly to look out a window. "Elsa is asking if you'd be okay with a demonstration, Anna."

I shrugged. "Sure. It's probably the best way to explain it."

I promptly braced myself as my vision blacked out, as per the usual sign that Elsa was taking over. I'd done a little searching on the web a few days ago and the closest thing I could find that described this phenomena is apparently called an "astral projection," or something like that. Not sure if it's the same thing, but oh well.

My vision returned as quickly as it left, revealing myself to now be seated on the very same windowsill Belle had been staring at which coincidentally was overlooking her hospital bed. A quick glance downward at my now transparent self confirmed that I once again was having a literal out of body experience.

"Elsa?" Belle gasped suddenly. "Where did you go?"

I then watched as my physical body, now inhabited by Elsa, opened its eyes to reveal a pair of shiny blue irises instead of its normal teals. Elsa flexed her new-found arms, giving them a good stretch.

"I am right here," she replied with a chuckle.

Belle turned toward me, or Elsa rather, shock evident all over her face.

"Elsa?" she asked, somewhat apprehensively.

"The one and only, if not in appearance." Elsa laughed, closing the distance such that Belle could get a better look.

"Incredible," Belle breathed. "Where did Anna go, then? Is she still here?"

"Whatever do you mean?" A look of confusion flashed over Elsa's face as she pointed in my direction. "She is right there, where I once sat. Do you not see her?"

Belle turned her gaze back towards the window, staring directly through me.

"I don't, no." was her reply.

Elsa shot me this weird look, to which I merely shrugged in response.

"I see," Elsa noted. "In which case, know that Anna is still present in much the same way as I would be to anyone not currently wearing my earrings."

"Mm, okay." Belle shifted in place with a sigh, raising a hand to rest on her forehead. "Today really has been eventful, especially for an old lady such as myself, and yet Anna had mentioned that there still were other abilities you possessed, Elsa. What _else_ do you have hidden up your sleeve?"

Elsa smiled at her friend's exasperation. "Well, I also am able to induce auditory and visual hallucinations for one, and—"

"—You can do _what_ now?" interrupted an amused, yet familiar voice. One that certainly did not belong to Belle.

I glanced over toward the doorway and found Mom entering the room, a tray of food in hand. Elsa reflexively turned as well, her eyes wide with surprise, and in doing so she inadvertently gave Mom a perfect view of my body's shiny blue irises.

Mom stumbled, nearly dropping the tray.

"O-oh..." she weakly croaked out. "Hello, _Anna_."

Elsa wrung her wrists nervously. "Ah... hello, mother."

It was clear now to Elsa that Mom knew of her existence, and it was clear as well to Mom that Elsa knew she knew. The air was thick as Mom and Elsa stared each other down, each not knowing how to proceed.

"Hello Idunn," Belle asked, all of a sudden. "Am I to understand that you're Anna's mother?"

Mom nodded dumbly. "I am, yes."

Belle laughed, slicing clean through the tension in the air. "Well, that certainly would explain how she was able to find me. I believe then that a thank you is in order? From both myself and my friend over here, hmm?"

Elsa glared pointedly at Belle, before dropping all pretenses.

"...Indeed. Thank you very much Anna's mother, whom I now know to be Idunn."

"Oh, it was nothing." Mom smiled warmly. "I'm guessing then that you would be the Elsa I've heard so much about?"

"Ah..." Elsa shifted in place, visibly still somewhat uncomfortable. "Yes, I would."

Mom's eyes lit up. "Then _you_ would be the one I'd have to thank for saving Anna's life that one time."

"What was that?" Belle interrupted. "Saving Anna's life? You didn't say anything about that, Els."

I was rather surprised as well to hear that Elsa hadn't told Belle that story.

"Wha— It wasn't that significant of an event, really." Elsa protested.

"I'd have to disagree, Elsa." Mom grinned at Belle as she made her way over with the tray of food she still carried in hand. "Well now Belle, it seems as though you'll get both dinner and a story today."

* * *

And so, Mom told Belle the story of how Hans had invaded our home, of how he held me at his mercy, and of how Elsa had all but pummelled the snot out of him in response. She noticeably emphasized the heroism Elsa exhibited in rescuing me, and she also glossed over the fact that Hans had essentially been put into the hospital by the ordeal. While I honestly could've done without having to relive the experience, the look of child-like awe on Belle's face was definitely a sight to behold.

"I also feel the need to apologize on Anna's behalf, Elsa, for intruding upon your diary." Mom added once she'd concluded the story.

Elsa, who'd long since sat herself down in a nearby chair whilst the story was being told, shook her head adamantly after processing rather the quick change in subject.

"Anna's little snooping episode was what allowed Belle and I to reconcile in the first place. I don't hold it against her at all," she insisted.

"Fair point." Mom conceded with a small smile, seemingly glad to have gotten that out of the way. "Here's hoping that she doesn't make a habit out of it though!"

"Don't worry." I snarked out loud, forgetting that only Elsa would be able to hear me. "I definitely don't plan on it."

Elsa laughed, eliciting a weird look from both Belle and Mom.

"Oh, nothing." Elsa said. "Anna just said something I found funny, is all."

Belle took a spoonful of soup. "What has she been doing, anyway? Seems like she's been pretty quiet lately."

"Anna has been here this entire time?" Mom did a double take, before immediately checking herself. "Wait, I remember. She did try to explain how your body sharing shenanigans worked earlier." She then laughed. "Really Anna, how did you get yourself into such a mess?"

I could only shrug in response, forgetting again that she wouldn't see it.

Mom rose from her seat. "Well, I need to get back to work. It's been wonderful to finally meet you Elsa. I'll see you later, yeah?" With that, Mom turned on her heel and disappeared into the hallway, unknowingly leaving Elsa behind gaping in her chair. That final statement had been entirely innocuous in nature, and yet...

"...That's a good question, Elsa." I piped up, at the same time Belle asked: "...Will she?"

Elsa turned to look at us both, and already I could see a war raging inside her mind. Clearly she hadn't yet thought this far forward.

What happens next? Stay, or leave?

"I don't know," was all that she could muster after some time. "What will I do..? What _should_ I do?"

Belle took another spoonful of soup, before biting into a slice of bread. "You've let society dictate your actions for the majority of your living life, Elsa, and look where it's gotten you. I think it's well past time for you to start making choices of your own."

Elsa hummed, before turning towards me. "What do you think, Anna?"

"I wouldn't mind at all if you... no, wait. I shouldn't say anything." I cut myself off. "This is your decision, do what you think is best for yourself."

Elsa paused momentarily to mull over her decision, only to smile and shake her head after a rather short period of time. She went to take in a rather dramatic deep breath.

"It is clear now..." she began. "...after having swapped anecdotes with Belle, that it is no longer possible for me to live a normal life as I'd once hoped. To lead a successful career, to love and start a family... these are just two of many things rendered highly difficult by my current condition, if not made outright impossible."

Belle and I both stared at Elsa, waiting anxiously for her to continue.

Elsa just laughed, whether at herself or at us I don't know. "Yet that does not preclude me from happiness, nor does it directly prevent my lingering in this world. I found our time together to truly be most magnificent Anna, and as a result I hope you do not mind if I ask to stay for a little while longer?"

I stared at Elsa dumbly, mind not comprehending for a while what she had just said. "O-oh! Of course!" I stuttered, once I did. "I'd love to have you around, and I know Mom would too. I have a few friends at uni who'd definitely want to meet you as well."

Elsa smiled at that, a cheek-to-cheek wide smile I'd never before previously seen her make. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Belle's anxious expression fade away to that of relief.

"So, what's the verdict?" She asked, as she wasn't privy to my side of the conversation. "Staying, right?"

"Indeed, Belle. It seems as though that I will be staying." Elsa glanced over at Belle, expression now that of uncertainty. "For a little while longer at least. I hope you do not mind?

"Mind? Of course not." Belle shook her head. "In fact, I'm quite glad."

Elsa didn't look too convinced.

"Tell you what then, Elsa." Belle said with a chuckle. "If you really want to make it up to me, then come find me in the club above the skies when you decide it's time to move on. I hereby call dibs on your first dance."

"Deal." Elsa smiled, before turning back towards me. "And as for your friends, Anna. I would be delighted to meet them. Or be properly introduced rather, as I suspect I may already know of them. Are they the same individuals you had met at the party, way back then?"

"Yep." I nodded. "You know though, not gonna lie. Deep down I'm kind of surprised that you chose to stay. I thought you'd disappear or something after reconciling with Belle, like some sort of 'finished the unfinished business' sort of thing."

Elsa shook her head, laughing to herself softly and she made another cursory glance towards the aged Belle. "If there's anything I've learned today Anna, is that it seems better to focus your efforts toward the future. It doesn't do well to dwell on sins committed in the past."

I smiled. Looks like things might work out after all.

* * *

 **This... was difficult to write. I believe it will be the last chapter.**

 **I feel satisfied with what I've written, and with how I've explored and resolved Elsa's backstory (to myself at least). As author though, I never really will know whether or not I've left critical questions unexplained.**

 **I know that I'd called Anna an anomaly and whatnot earlier, and that there was much potential for us to explore her "powers" so to speak, but as the story progressed I found myself not very interested in that subplot, so I never really went into much detail about it. As for Hans, for all I care he rotted in a jail cell after his time in the spotlight was through. Maybe there'll be a miscellaneous bonus scene where he bumps into Anna in the school hallways and shits his pants after seeing her.**

 **More importantly, to myself however, is that I've learned a lot throughout this story. I've had crappy dialogue identified as a problem relatively early in the story for example.**

 **There's also been a few regrets here and there. I for one wish that I'd done the diary aftermath better. I'll definitely try to keep all these lessons in mind as I go forward to write newer and hopefully better stories. I have a new one in mind involving an eternal winter, and while it's almost definitely not original I'd like to have a go at it nonetheless.**

 **Honestly though, I'd like to thank everyone for reading. For following and favouriting. For reviewing. For everything. Because even if you'd never done any of the above, I can still view the traffic graphs. Thank you. Seriously. Like almost every other human being out there, I love hearing praise, and personally valid criticism even more so.**

 **Cheers.**


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